Breaking the Silence

I’ve been pondering this post for a long time. 

As Prop 8 hits the Supreme Court fan and thousands of people watch to see if the Justices will make history, a large part of the population has remained largely silent.

They’re holding their breath.

I’ve been a part of that group, but I’m so tired of being bullied into silence. It’s time to speak for what I believe.

First, let me say that I know and love a few gay people. I have friends and family members who are gay. They’re awesome people. They’re attracted to people of the same gender. That’s fine with me. I understand that it’s a core part of them, just like loving and being attracted to my husband is a core part of me.

I know that people who are gay or lesbian are just as capable of goodness and kindness and love as straight people.  I think they deserve happiness, and I think they deserve equality.

Yet, every day when I log onto Facebook, scroll through Twitter and check the news I get hit in the face by hate. I’m told that I’m a bigot, that I have no brain, that I’m old-fashioned and uncivilized. Why?

Because I support traditional marriage.

This is a decision I’ve struggled with, for all of the reasons I listed above. I know that people are people, gay or straight. I want everyone to be happy.

So how can I deny gay couples should have the right to marry?

It’s because of what I believe about marriage. As a Christian, I believe that marriage is sacred. I believe that God created the institution of marriage as the best environment to create families who learn and grow and try to become like Christ.

I also believe that homosexual relations are morally wrong. Just as I believe that any sexual relations not between a married man and woman are morally wrong. To me, sex is a sacred act meant to express love between married couples and to bring children into the world.  And marriage is a safeguard, a sacred contract.

To me, defining marriage as between a man and a woman is not an act of hate like the media tells me it is. It’s not a point for endless debate on the merits of hetero versus homosexual couples.

It’s about defining something legally that God designed a long time before we got here.

I hope my gay friends know that I love them, and I want them to be happy. I may not agree with all their actions, but I know that I can’t fully understand what they’re going through. I’m not trying to disrespect you, I just want some respect from you too.

Respect for what I believe, for what I hold sacred.

This doesn’t mean you have to agree with what I’ve said or how I feel. Just please stop the intolerance and hate for what I believe. Please don’t call me a bigot, please don’t call me stupid. I’m well aware of all your arguments for gay marriage, but I morally can’t support them, because of what I believe about marriage.

I still love you.