Choose love for everyone, and extend marriage rights to homosexuals

I'm looking through last week's "Wedding Album" in the Xpress and thinking about how none of my gay friends can personally share in this joy. But mainly, I am writing in response to Rev. Keith A. Ogden's statement, "homosexual lifestyle, that's a lifestyle choice," and how apparently making that "choice" simply does away with any need for tax breaks, equal rights or equality in marriage for our gay community.

I always wonder, when these sorts of statements are made, what "choices" would be OK? How about the "choice" to murder another human? Because if one "chooses" to do so, one can still get married. A serial killer on death row can get married … oh wait, I mean unless they're a gay serial killer.

Does the reverend really think gay people wake up every morning and "choose" to remind themselves to act gay? That's just silly.

When my husband and I got married, we weren't in a church. The church was not involved with our wedding in any way. We stood under our Earth's blue sky with a justice of the peace and took vows containing no religious words. So, if we are legally bound, why deny the same rights to others in love? If the church wants to remain antiquated and hateful, that should be their problem, not everyone else's. Why do they even have a say in our governing? Separation of church and state, remember?

And maybe it's just me, but is this the conversation that we should be having? Our world is going to heck in a hand-basket. We are fighting two wars and living amid poverty, terror, hopelessness and indiscriminate pollution. Yet many individuals have decided it's more worthwhile to argue over how one is born (even though they don't even know for sure) and deny civil rights based on who one kisses goodnight because a 2,000-year-old book, written by men who thought the world was flat, says so.

I have got better things to do than try and take rights away from people in love. I am not gay, so I guess I've "chosen" the heterosexual lifestyle. But I have had the honor of living in three of the gayest cities in America: New Orleans; Burlington, Vt.;and Asheville. And I "choose" to love love. That's why gays should be able to get married. It's our "choice" as citizens to make this so, and we should do what's right. For LOVE.

— J. Wager
Asheville

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5 thoughts on “Choose love for everyone, and extend marriage rights to homosexuals

  1. johncopeland

    J. Wagner,

    Very thoughtful post. I certainly would agree.

    LOVE is the answer.

    John Copeland

  2. Alan

    No, love is not the answer. Contraception is the answer.
    But the gay fertility rate makes them vastly superior employees and tenants because of fewer family benefits and leave and far less child related wear and tear on rental units.

  3. Piffy!

    Alan, have you ever considered taking your own life to make room for others? It seems like the ethically consistent thing to do.

  4. Alan

    Yes and I actively support Oregon style Euthanasia, but to make room for ecosystems, not for the likes of you.

  5. johncopeland

    Alan wrote: No, love is not the answer. Contraception is the answer.

    Alan, should we wish that your parents had used contraception?

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