Reader's view: Marriage is about love, not gender

We believe marriage plays an important role in our society. The promises a couple makes to family and friends can help strengthen the marriage relationship. Marriage ceremonies inside a house of worship lift those promises up to God. Promises like these are rarely taken lightly.

Marriage means a couple has the formal support of family and the broader community, and that can make a huge difference. Considering that approximately half of all marriages end in divorce, we have an interest in promoting strong marriage between two people who love one another. Marriage is about love, commitment and important responsibilities. Two people who are merely living together can easily decide to part ways. Yet when people make a promise before their friends, family and God to unite in marriage, they have to take many more steps to leave that union. Divorce is much more difficult emotionally and legally than just “walking away.”

Society benefits when the promise of “in sickness and health” is fulfilled when one is ill. If we want to encourage couples to have permanent relationships, we should encourage their marriage.

The same dynamics apply to all, including same-sex couples. Society should encourage the same life-long commitments that marriage is based upon for same-sex couples as it does for straight couples. We know many same-sex couples, and we wish them the same encouragement of a long-term marriage relationship the two of us have. We believe in the defense of marriage for all. Because of that, we will be voting no in November on the amendment that would limit the freedom to marry for some Minnesotans. We respect those who may feel otherwise and welcome that conversation with them.

Mark Knutson and Beth Storaasli

Duluth

The writers have been married 35 years.

Tags: readers views, opinion, editorials, family