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As a member
of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Poughkeepsie,
I am proud to support my minister, the Rev. Kay Greenleaf, in
her stand on same-sex marriage. Whether Greenleaf and others are
guilty of breaking the law is yet to be determined. But there
is no doubt these courageous people have called attention to the
injustice and absurdity of a law that defines marriage according
to religious values.
It's time
to separate the religious sacrament from the conferring by government
of certain rights and benefits, which should be equally available
to everyone. If that means letting religion have exclusive jurisdiction
over the ''m'' word, and calling all ''civil unions'' by their
correct name, that's fine with me.
Patricia
G. Lamanna, Poughkeepsie |
Letter writer Beverly Scalzi claims her
opposition to same-sex marriage is biological, not religious.
But her version of the ''biology'' of human and animal relationships
is factually incorrect, as are her assertions about human reproduction
and its relevance to pair bonding.
Several hundred animal species have been observed
in regular patterns of homosexual, bisexual and autoerotic behavior.
These relations are not limited to physical acts, but are also
observed in pair-bonding habits. And, while Scalzi claims 9 percent
of the population is trying to ''normalize'' their non-reproductive
sexual attraction, she does not condemn bonding between the similar
percentage of reproductively sterile partners in heterosexual
relationships.
Clearly, her objections are personal. Her fabricated
analysis underscores the reasons why traditional biology curricula
must be bolstered rather than unconstitutionally reduced or compromised
by creationism advocates.
Letter writer Barbara Gutzler argues for the
primacy of the oath of office, but her application of that oath
is contradictory to its wording. Both the state and U.S. constitutions
expressly forbid any exclusion from equal protection and hold
that their authority is superior to legislative act.
It is New Paltz Mayor Jason West who is demonstrating
the courage of his conviction to uphold his oath of office by
insisting the State of New York abide by the supreme laws of the
land.
Steve Greenfield, New Paltz
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