I am, above all else, a firm believer in the rights of individuals. I believe such rights are sacred and must be protected at all costs, even when it means decreased security. The right to believe as you wish and act on your beliefs in a way not harmful to others is as sacred a right as any other. What you do not have a right to do, however, is impose your beliefs on others. That is what the Federal Marriage Amendment is. It is a gross imposition on the beliefs and rights of at least thirty million Americans, and likely a lot closer to one hundred fifty million, when you take into account all of the straight people who approve of gay marriage. One of the core principles of our system of government is to prevent the will of the majority from trampling on the rights of the minority. That is at least one of the reasons for the seperation of church and state. The FMA flies in the face of every principle this country was founded on.

Finally, thanks to 'activist' judges, America will have the opportunity to learn the true nature of gay marriage, and perhaps learn a little about heterosexual marriage along the way. The honest truth, it will likely be revealed, is that same-sex marriage simply isn't relevant to all those protesting it. Perhaps then, some of our esteemed leaders in Richmond will finally get a clue and do what is right instead of trying to compete for Pat Robertson's blessings.

First, it is worth looking at the basis for the argument that gay marriage would somehow impinge upon the sanctity of the institution of marriage. Frankly, we would do well to look at whether there's any sanctity of the sort so often alluded to in church left in the first place. Given the divorce rate, the constant news of self-righteous individuals caught in compromising positions, and the steady stream of married guests airing all kinds of filthy laundry on talk shows, it is arguable that heterosexuals have done a dandy job eroding away at the institution on their own without any help from us.

Regardless of your position on the issue of gay marriage itself, there is something more important at stake in the current debate over the proposal to amend the Constitution to ban it. This greater question is whether we are willing to tolerate our leaders in the White House and both houses of congress using the Constitution purely for the purpose of antagonizing a political minority and furthering their own political ambitions.

According to a poll conducted by ABC News and the Washington Post in late January, 55% of Americans oppose gay marriage. However, only 38% favor amending the Constitution to outlaw gay marriage. For perspective, a constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of congress and must be ratified by three fourths of the states in order to become the law of the land. Since this amendment doesn't even have enough support to pass congress, let alone be ratified, it is clear that the far right is proposing this purely to further divide the nation and reinvigorate their base. The question of our position on the specific issue, therefore, is far less important than whether we are willing to tolerate the abuse of the Constitution for the sole purpose of winning elections.

I just got through reading Marcel Bayoh's letter (April 8th) about the apparent spate of sexual abuse in the Catholic church. Frankly, I must admit that I was shocked and appalled by his attempt to blame the whole mess on homosexuals. That is the second most outrageous thing I've ever read in your paper (second only to Pat Robertson's blasphemous letter comparing himself to Abraham Lincoln).

To follow his logic, we'd have to ban straight men from the priesthood too, as they'd be just as likely to molest pre-pubescent children as gay priests are to abuse adolescents. To blame the group on the illness of a minority of its members is outrageous. By his reasoning, we should deport all Muslims because a few people were led to committing heinous crimes by an insane Saudi, or perhaps all Germans should be imprisoned because a few were Nazis.

I recently saw an article by Miles Christian Daniels (July 11th, 2001) regarding the amount of time it takes parent to adjust to finding out that they have a gay son or daughter.

I was lucky. My dad has always been one of the most open minded people I know. When I came out to him last month and informed him of my current relationship, he immediately replied that he loved me and was glad that I was happy with my life. That was the perfect response, and I'm most grateful that he had the wisdom to make it. I can't know what he is thinking about inside, but I do know how he responded outwardly, and that was with the message of love and support that every parent should have.

I was quite pleasantly surprised to see Forrest P. Clay's letter suggesting a repeal of the state's Crimes Against Nature (CAN) law printed in Sunday's paper. Isn't it high time that the Republican legislators and governor practice what the party preaches and get the government out of our lives?

The publication of Dr. Clay's letter was particularly well timed given an article published two days before about the cohabitation law. Since when does anyone have a right to say that two adults can't live together unmarried as long as they like? I find it absurd that such laws are still on the books in Virginia and that people are still being prosecuted under them. It will truly be a disgrace if that couple's day care license is revoked over something so totally irrelevant to anything.

Being an outspoken opponent of Virginia's own Cimes Against Nature law, I am elated that the United States Supreme Court has heard arguments in the case of Lawrence and Garner v Texas. They now stand poised to overturn Bowers v. Hardwick, in which they held that these laws were legal seventeen years ago.

All Americans, whether gay or straight should acknowledge that the government has no place whatsoever in the bedrooms of Americas. They are also now aware that they cannot simply assume that these laws are ancient and no longer being prosecuted. The simple fact that a bad law remains on the books creates an opportunity for great damage to occur. All Americans everywhere, gay or straight, Democrat or Republican should stand up and demand an end to this puritanical nonsense.