Reader’s view: All marriages, gay or straight, benefit society and rate support

They say we have to support traditional marriage because of its benefits to society, and I wholeheartedly agree. And since committed, same-gender relationships also benefit society they should be supported as well.

How do same-gender relationships benefit society? Consider my brother and his partner. Together they bought a run-down duplex in a depressed neighborhood in Minneapolis. They put huge amounts of work and money into fixing up the place. Over the years, they’ve rented one of the units to various gay and straight couples. For a while, they rented the unit to a family member (at low cost), so she and her husband could establish themselves financially. It turns out my brother and his partner were part of a wave of GLBT couples who moved into that neighborhood. As houses got fixed up, property values rose, shops and restaurants opened, and the community is now thriving.

Only committed couples have what it takes to buy a home together and fix it up. It would hurt my brother and his partner and it would hurt my wife and me if the state passed a marriage-

discrimination amendment. Support traditional marriage; support all marriage. I’m voting “no” for my brother and for other GLBT friends and family. I ask you to vote “no” on behalf of your friends and relatives and for all committed GLBT couples working hard to make their lives and their communities better places to live.

John Greene

Duluth

Tags: readers views, opinion, editorials, politics, minnesota, family