Equal rights

To the editor:

A few years ago, conservative Christians said they’d be more supportive of gay and lesbian people if it weren’t for their darn promiscuity; if only they’d practice fidelity like we heterosexual folks. Oh, brother. Now, conservative Christians want to deny gay and lesbian couples the only state and/or religiously sanctioned symbol of fidelity in our culture, “marriage.”

And not only that, if you vote for the upcoming proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage, “civil unions” for gay and lesbian folk will be right out, too. Voting for the marriage ban isn’t about supporting Christian morality (morality being, in this case, honoring fidelity through marriage), it’s about one group denying to another group a set of legal rights that should be accessible to everyone.

I am married with a 3-year-old son. Is he gay? Is he straight? If gay, he should have access to the same legal rights as everyone else, including the right to a state-sanctioned union if that is his choice. Families flourish with the support of open minds and open hearts and in places where all people — regardless of age, race, income, sex or sexual orientation — have equal rights and equal protection under the law.

Lora Jost,

Lawrence