Letters: Exhilaration for same-sex couples
Re the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decisions, June 26
The exhilaration we feel after the two U.S. Supreme Court rulings Wednesday striking a blow for marriage equality overshadows all the anguish we felt that morning on Nov. 5, 2008, when it was clear that California voters had passed Proposition 8. Thankfully, today, California is a marriage equality state.
To have heard this good news on the same day that DOMA was overruled is something we never foresaw 32 years ago when we committed our lives to each other. Our union, then, was started without family or friends to share in our joy and commitment. We had a private ceremony in a forest among the redwood trees of the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. The beauty and romance of that moment was diminished by the lack of witness and community that legal recognition brings.
We were so very pleased to see this day.
Althea Ingram and Theresa Greenway
Murrieta
FULL COVERAGE: Prop. 8 and DOMA
Though the victory for opponents of Proposition 8 is great for same-sex couples, the underlying victories involved are far greater.
Research has shown that suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth is more prevalent than in the general population. Clearly, being denied the ability to marry contributes to a feeling of low self-worth.
Many who claim to support gay relationships do not condone same-sex marriage. But it’s impossible to “support” someone while denying their right to experience one of life’s greatest joys.
California’s giant step toward equality will help diminish the high suicide rate among gay youth. The Supreme Court’s decision will not only bring loving couples together, it will save lives.
Three cheers for the right to marry today. Infinite cheers for encouraging acceptance of all of our youth today, tomorrow and forever.
Daniel A. Cowell
Monrovia
Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr., Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas dissented in the ruling Wednesday that overturned the Defense of Marriage Act. What a surprise.
Yes, I’m thrilled by the decision, but we have more proof that these nine justices are indeed partisan. Whatever happened to doing the right thing, as in the 9-0 decisions in Brown vs. Board of Education and Loving vs. Virginia?
It’s time to put an end to the fantasy that the court isn’t just a nine-member legislative body.
Andrew M. Weiss
Playa Del Rey
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