About Same-Sex Marriage and Proposition 22

* Re “Gays, Allies Meet to Fight Prop. 22,” Feb. 1:

On Jan. 31, I attended a “No on Proposition 22” rally at United Church of Christ in Irvine. It was sponsored by the left-wing National Religious Leadership Roundtable.

These were essentially gay and political activists clothed in religious garb. Their target was the religious right, Republican leaders and the benign and moderate Proposition 22, which sensibly states, “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in the state of California.”

Who would have believed that those simple words would cause such a hysterical outcry among some left-wing religious leaders and homosexual activists?

Only in our increasingly corrupt and morally declining society could such an innocuous statement generate such a firestorm.

What is very troubling to many of us is that the words “religious left” aren’t even part of the lexicon used by our liberal media.

A database search would find the words “religious right” used obsessively and negatively, while one would have to explain what the “religious left” even means. Oh what biased reporting and shame on the media, particularly The Times.

During the rally at the leftist church, the religious leaders were not just informing us on this political issue, they told us how to vote.

They told us to vote no on this measure. They clearly crossed the line of separation of church and state. Where is the media, ACLU or Americans United for Separation of Church and State? Their silence is deafening.

DAN JONES

Rancho Santa Margarita

* The participants in the meeting of the gay rights advocates in Irvine, either deliberately or out of ignorance, misstated the effect the passage of Proposition 22 would have on their rights and benefits.

The Rev. Elder Nori Rost, leader of a gay-lesbian congregation in Colorado Springs, Colo., is quoted in The Times account as saying “Love is a divine gift that cannot, should not and will not be legislated away.” Proponents of Proposition 22 would wholly agree with that statement. But what does that have to do with Proposition 22?

Rabbi Denise Eger of Congregation Kol Ami in Hollywood is quoted as saying, “This proposition will create havoc in our state. It will take away our new, hard-won civil rights.” This statement is simply not true.

Proposition 22 doesn’t attack homosexuals nor take away any of their rights or benefits.

California, along with the federal government and 31 other states, already has a law prohibiting the issuing of a license for same-sex marriages.

The only purpose of Proposition 22 is to close the loophole in the present law that would allow single-sex couples, who have been married in another state or country, from moving into our state and claiming the status of a legally married couple.

This is our state. Families are important to us. We respect the right of every person to choose his or her lifestyle, but a small minority of the population should not have the right to define marriage for the hundreds of thousands who signed the petition that put this initiative on the ballot and for the millions of mainstream California citizens who support Proposition 22.

JESSE STAY

Huntington Beach

* A gay and lesbian group announced it would hold a large rally in the heart of Orange County--Irvine.

Leaders estimated that the attendance would be 1,000, to show that there was opposition to Proposition 22 even in the heart of a conservative community.

Guess what? The estimate of actual attendance was 250.

If we subtract the out-of-area speakers and supporters and newspaper reporters, the actual number would be insignificant.

SAM BATDORF

La Mirada