Reader’s view: Preserve family values by opposing gay-marriage ban

I was talking with a friend the other day; and since we were both born in the 1950s, we were feeling a bit nostalgic about how things used to be. We regretted the loss of civility, family unity, self-sacrifice, work ethic, loyalty and responsibility. All these values we learned as children and still hold dear today seem to be slipping away. But what he said next surprised me. He said it was time to draw a line in the sand and stop this slide into self-indulgence by passing a constitutional amendment against any future possibility of gay marriage in Minnesota. He said he was tired of our values eroding.

I heard frustration in his voice but was confused by his position. He had earlier shared that he had a niece living with her partner and their child, and he said he admired the way they worked together. He clearly wished for her happiness but equated expanding marriage to her as an affront to those values we were reminiscing about.

I asked him to describe his marriage. He said, “It hasn’t always been easy, but we’re respectful and take care not to hurt each other. I love my wife and would do anything for her, and I believe she feels the same about me. We raised a family together and that’s damn hard work. You can’t find loyalty like that anymore, can you?”

“I’m not sure,” I said, “but it sounds like marriage is just what we need to keep our values alive. Would preventing your niece from marriage make our values stronger?”

It was a great conversation and I appreciated him being so open with me about the strength of his marriage. Maybe someday, if we don’t stop her, his niece can carry on his same values. Please vote “no.”

Dane Youngblom

Duluth

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