To the editor:

Please allow to respond to the letter from Pastor Leskovar in last week’s Herald. He makes several points about gay marriage most people will not agree with.

1. Those who stand for marriage as God designed it to be, he says, should follow their dictates and marry accordingly. And those who do not believe that marriage was designed by God? They should follow your beliefs? No, they too, must be allowed to marry as they choose.

2. He asserts that God’s design for marriage is “what is proven best for people and society.” According to whom? How many tens of thousands of gays and lesbians have been denied rights the rest of us take for granted? And aren’t they “people” and “part of society”?

3. He attacks Governor Gregoire who noted that “…marriage is about love and we should not deny same-sex people who love each other the right to get married.” He disputes this by asking if brothers and sisters should marry, or father and son, as these are relationships based on love. He even asks if we should allow marriage between a man and his dog! Really? This is the best you can do Pastor Leskovar? Your whole premise is totally absurd. Let me point out that love between family members is quite different from the love one has for one’s spouse or partner.

4. “In any same-sex household, the children are denied either a father or a mother.” Excuse me, but “Duhhh!” On the other hand, these children have the benefit of two loving mothers or two loving fathers. To suggest that same-sex couples are incapable of raising children properly simply casts the mantle of homophobe on Pastor Leskovar, a mantle he tries so hard to disavow at the start of his letter.
5. Finally, he rallies the troops: “It’s time to stand up and stand against this ridiculous effort to redefine marriage and support marriage between a man and a woman only.” No, Pastor Leskovar, it’s time to stand up and stand against the malicious persecution of gays and lesbians and recognize them for what they are: good, decent members of society who must have the same rights as the rest of us.

David Gardner
Genesee