and while I'm on my soapbox.....

This is the letter I sent to the Bangor Daily News editor this morning in response to an article about Rep. Duprey. Here is a short blurb from the article that ticked me off so much:

-----""For us to ignore [God's] will is to ignore him, and I will not sit idly by as the homosexual activists tear apart the most important building block of our society - the traditional one-man, one-woman family," said the measure's sponsor, Rep. Brian Duprey, R-Hampden, during testimony before the Legislature's Judiciary Committee. "-----

So here's my opinion to the editor:

Whatever happened to separation of church and state? Apparently that seems to only apply when the state deems it appropriate. Marriage is not a religious "Christian" institution in the USA. And it's a shame Duprey is attempting to make it that way. If it were, then Jews, Buddhists, nor Mormons would be allowed to marry. If Marriage were a religious institution, then there would only be one type of religious ceremony and it could only be performed by one type of priest/reverend. Make note that this is NOT the case and never has been. Marriage is a LEGAL institution in the USA. Otherwise you wouldn't need a judge to sign the divorce papers. And when a couple divorces, I don't believe the judge makes any comment about the couple disappointing god nor does the judge make comment on the fact that perhaps the couple didn't live up to their "godly" duty by not producing a child.

Marriage is and will always be a legal institution in America. It is a legal way for two people to be joined and to share what they have, whether this is a benefit to them or a detriment, they share it. They don't need a ceremony to accomplish this. They simply need a piece of paper, a few witnesses, and a justice of the peace. At no time does the word "GOD" need to be mentioned within the document nor within the ceremony. If Duprey would suddenly like to turn marriage into a "religious" institution, then perhaps he needs to start by defining it within a different context other than "one man-one woman." Perhaps he'd like to add "only Catholics" or "only Jews." THEN it might be considered a religious institution. Until then, I sincerely wish the government would stop condoning discrimination against gays and lesbians. It feels as though we have stepped back into the fifties where it was ok to breed disharmony and discrimination against those you don't agree with or understand.

Morality goes far beyond religion. More hatred and injustices have been done in the name of religion than for any other cause. More slaying, prejudice, brainwashing, and discrimination have been done as well. If the public can't see that, then that is where the problem lies. Morality isn't simply for those who call themselves moral. And being gay or lesbian or transgender doesn't exclude them from being moral, ethical, or downright pillars of the community. It is a true shame that many people believe being gay or lesbian excludes someone from being a good person or excludes them from the right to live a happy, prosperous life.

I used to be very patriotic, feeling as though this country...this state...was the only place in the world I could truly be myself without having to look over my shoulder every time I stepped outside my home. I am a mother, an artist, a student, and a lesbian. I used to feel proud to be these things in this wonderful state... "The way life should be..."

Now, however, I feel as though I need to not only look over my shoulder, but I also need to wear armor and get a security system installed.

This isn't the way life "should be." Whether in Nazi Germany or in New England. Discrimination is wrong no matter what tag you put on it.