I felt stunned and saddened reading recent letters by Lloyd Geillinger and Rae Piepho. Visions of gay people descending on our state like vultures, while schools force-feed gay “programming” to our youth? Damning people to hell for being gay? Defining homosexuality as a “sin” on par with murder? In what century are we living?
I feel so grateful that I’m raising my children at a time when the majority of people understand that sexual orientation is as biologically predetermined as skin or hair color. It’s proof that we have evolved socially and spiritually that a majority of Minnesotans—and Americans—agree that we should all have the right to marry the person we love. Honestly, it would make as much sense for me to write a letter railing against blue-eyed people having the right to vote as it does to decry same-sex people having the right to marry. And it would be just as decent of me to tell my neighbor she’s going to drown in the sea someday for being a redhead as it is to tell gay and lesbian people that they’ll burn in hell for being homosexual.
Since Geillinger’s letter doesn’t define “natural law,” I’d like to provide the definition I know: Homosexuality and bisexuality exist across all species; all variations of sexual orientation are nature, not perversion; and sexual orientation cannot be taught.
Since Piepho’s definition of “free will” seems to offer only two options: obeying the God of her religion’s understanding or not, I’d like to offer an alternative: Could it be that there are many different kinds of people who lead good, exemplary lives? That good people follow all kinds of different religions and traditions, fall naturally in love and form lasting relationships with same-sex or opposite-sex people? Could it be that, under these surface differences, we are all pretty much the same and therefore deserve the same rights? Maybe “free will” is the license to choose good acts because they are the loving thing to do, because they bring ourselves and others happiness—not because a vengeful God will punish us if we don’t. That sounds a heck of a lot more like free will to me.
Kate Fitzgerald
Grand Marais
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