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Civil marriage is a civil right

How I feel about gay rights is that I can't even believe we're even having this conversation in society. Of course gay people should be able to marry. It's a civil rights issue. I wrote about this in my local paper when I read a letter someone had written in, self-righteously enraged at the idea that gay people would get married. I couldn't contain myself. I wish that reason were as infectious and widespread as ignorance. We've made strides though, societally, and I hope one day all people will be recognized as equal.

Letter to the editor, Bowie Blade News, 07/19/07

Regarding Amy Jones' letter on her offense to the sign "Civil marriage is a civil right" in the June 28 issue, I find it interesting that she says it's the law that homosexual people do not have the right to marry.

Well it was once the law that women couldn't vote. And that African Americans couldn't sit with whites on buses. And Hitler made legal his horrible atrocities. Egregious disregards of human rights throughout history carved into laws do not make them right.

You're saying we should not question the law? If a democracy is run by the people for the people, it needs people's common sense to shape it. We should not be silent when others are oppressed. People should be allowed to marry whoever they want. The pursuit of happiness is a right every person should have under the Declaration of Independence and no one should be exempt.

And by the way, in some states, same-sex marriage is, actually, legal. That's not just my feelings.

Holly Russo

This is the letter I was responding to (Bowie Blade News, June 28, 2007):

I read with great amusement the response letter from fellow Bowieite Jill Kyle-Keith regarding my initial letter protesting a neighbor's unfortunate choice of yard signs. Apparently the letter got to the thin-skinned Ms. Kyle-Keith. Good. I'll address her angry diatribe point by point.

First, beginning with her mistaken belief that gays have a civil right to marry. Again, Ms. Kyle-Keith, they don't. This is the law not my "feelings." I'll introduce you to a law you obviously haven't heard of called the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It gave civil rights to African-Americans, not homosexuals. Why do you think the African-Amercan community was so upset with gays saying their struggle was the same? Think about it. This is the indisputable truth about civil rights. I find it disturbing that liberals like to call anyone who disagrees with them, and they've never met before "bigots." But then again it's not surprising considering the left only gives their beloved "freedom of speech" privilege to those individuals who agree with them, and march to their tune in lock step.

In closing, I'd like to also remind Ms. Kyle-Keith that the reason I don't walk another way is because, as I clearly explained in my first letter, the sign is unavoidably displayed on Heather Hills' main street. So her simplistic solution isn't one at all.

Amy Jones

Original post (Bowie Blade News, June 14, 2007):

About 7 p.m. last Saturday, I was out taking a stroll in my subdivision of Heather Hills. Three streets over from me, much to my surprise, a neighbor of mine decided to put out a yard sign which declared that "Civil marriage is a Civil Right" (which is simply untrue).

I was quite taken aback by this. Never before had these individuals put such a thing in their yard. I thought to myself, not only am I deeply offended by such a sign, my personal belief is that marriage is between a man and a woman, a view held, by the way, by a majority of Americans, but I don't put a sign in my yard saying so.

I wonder why they would chose to display it where it can be seen so prominently; one can only come to the conclusion that this is a blatant pushing of a political agenda which I, and I'm sure other neighbors, don't appreciate. This sign is intentionally displayed to not only be seen by walkers but by people driving by. I wonder how long they intend to keep it there. I suppose until the next presidential election. I'd hate to be a parent who had to explain that to their kids.

I dislike such an aggressive pushing of a certain political agenda. I realize we live in politically correct times, but do we have to endure such a "blight on the landscape"? After all, this isn't San Francisco.

Amy Jones