Dear Editor,

Re: Same-sex Marriage

Consenting adults should be allowed to marry their partner of choice. It should make no difference if they are straight or gay. While a license from the state is required, there is no such license requirement from a church or religion. A couple marries for a variety of reasons including economics, companionship, love, and sometimes – but not always - to have and raise children. Some couples don’t want children, some couples can’t have children, and some couples are too old for having children, and yet they can all marry. Outside of actually having children, gay couples would be marrying for the same reasons. What’s not to think this is a good thing?

It turns out that marriage between men and women has not been the norm for all of human history, but a fairly recent legal structure. Even today, men are allowed to have multiple wives in several countries. And until recently (late 1960s), interracial marriage was banned in several states in the U.S. Marriage, one might say has evolved over time and has a different meaning today than it did even 100 years ago.

Not allowing gay men or women to marry really amounts to discrimination – pure and simple discrimination. If anyone thinks that allowing gay people to marry somehow threatens his or her marriage, then that marriage must not amount to much or he or she must have a lot of free time and a vivid imagination. Consider the current divorce rate, spousal and child abuse, broken homes and such when thinking about traditional marriage. It’s not Ozzie and Harriet anymore and in fact, it never was.

Governor Gregoire is correct in her thinking about same-sex marriage and equal rights; it is time to legalize same-sex marriage!

Sincerely,

David Gould