I applaud the letters of Sam Nelson and Ryan Quale because they put a very human face on a seemingly political and religious topic. Being gay or lesbian isn't about politics or religion, but someone somewhere decided to make it such. What ever happened to thinking -- just thinking about something and making up your own mind about how you feel about a topic instead of following some "agenda"? Living in our small communities has some great advantages, but sometimes the disadvantage is that we follow the crowd.
What if someone told you that you could not live in Minnesota because you are Swedish or German? What if someone told you that you could not vote because you are a woman? What if someone told you that you could not enter the Target Center because you have gray hair? What if someone told you that, even if you pay taxes and vote, you are not allowed to marry who you want to? Being gay or lesbian is not a choice, no more than being a middle-aged, short, Scandinavian woman with freckles is my choice. These are just elements of who I am, but I have a right and a duty to think about the rest.
You might ask what a heterosexual married mother is doing commenting on gay rights. I'm simply asking you to think for yourself and realize that if you took the time to talk to someone who has fewer rights than you, they'd probably be willing to tell you how they feel about it.
Bev Knudsen
Kandiyohi
