My brother's name is Matthew. The youngest of five children, he is the son of an Alexandria born, World War II veteran father and a Dawson native mother. Our parents raised us in the Christian faith including regular church attendance and daily family prayer. Most importantly, they taught us to live the faith we professed. Both were lifelong Eisenhower Republicans and active in our home community and church.
Matthew is 47 years old, an ordained minister, and after a successful decade of service in the ministry, he has enjoyed a distinguished career in the nonprofit and corporate worlds. He devotes countless hours to charitable organizations, serves on various community boards and is dedicated to his church. What's my point in telling you about Matthew? Only that his being gay represents a small part of his identity.
The fact of Matthew's homosexuality means nothing to his Fortune 500 employer; nor to the charitable organizations and church he supports; nor to his nieces and nephews for whom he is their favorite uncle; nor to our first born, for whom he is godfather; nor to my siblings for whom he is our baby brother; nor to our parents who simply loved and honored him as one of their beloved children. As for me, he's simply my brother whom I love and cherish just the way God made him.
To marriage amendment supporters, I implore you to consider the human consequences of your position. This issue is not about some nameless, faceless other; it's about fellow human beings. It's about my brother; his name is Matthew.
Sam Nelson
ADVERTISEMENT
Spicer
