Orson Scott Card - "Gay Marriage: Disagree but don't be unkind"

"Some people have misunderstood the LDS Church's position on Proposition 8 in California, and its opposition to gay marriage. They think that we are 'against homosexuals' -- that we think of 'them' as our enemies, and that individuals who have entered into 'gay marriages' pose a direct personal threat to us.

The unfortunate thing is that some of those who have this false impression are Mormons.

So let's set the record straight...

We do not believe that homosexuals, by entering into a 'marriage,' are personally hurting anybody. Where the law makes such a thing available, even temporarily, those who 'marry' are not our enemies. We believe the law is wrong and the marriage is not, in any meaningful way, what we mean by marriage.

But my family and I are perfectly able to deal with such couples socially and keep them as friends, as long as they show the same respect and understanding for our customs and beliefs as we show for theirs...

Only when a gay friend demanded that I agree with his or her point of view or cease to be friends has the friendship ended. What is odd is that in every case they called me intolerant. They misunderstood the meaning of 'tolerance.'

Tolerance implies disagreement -- it means that even though we don't agree with or approve of each others beliefs or actions, we can still live together amicably. When we agree, we aren't being tolerant, we're being uniform.

It's uniformity or submission these former friends wanted, not tolerance at all...

Legalizing gay marriage has huge legal implications far beyond letting same-sex couples enter into marriage contracts. Once 'marriage' has been so radically redefined, it will become unlawful and discriminatory for schools or any other public facility to favor, for instance, heterosexual dating or dancing.

Since our culture (like all human cultures throughout all of history) is oriented toward promoting the maximum opportunity for reproductive success for all members of the community, but channeled in a way that will best promote the survival of the community, such a radical change should not be entered into lightly.

Yet serious examination of scientific, historical, and legal issues has been all but drowned out by name-calling and demands for 'rights'...

No serious attempt has been made to consider anything more than a general feeling that "tolerance is good" and "discrimination is bad." Yet we are proceeding headlong into a vast social experiment whose consequences, as far as we can see, risk serious damage to many in order to create only the most marginal benefit for a few.

What's the hurry? Why the hostility toward even the slightest opposition? Can't our opponents wait to get their way until they have persuaded a clear majority? Can't they listen to people with ideas that are different from theirs?"

In the name of tolerance, there will be a protest march against people who dare to express an opinion about gay marriage in Salt Lake City today, because the LDS church asked its members to support Proposition 8 in California. I'm anxiously awaiting the protests in East LA tomorrow against those homophobic blacks, too...

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