Letter: Gay marriage would diminish liberty

In response to Barry Wick’s letter on May 10, “Gays are second-class in South Dakota,” I would say that Wick has given us no substance to prove that point.

His talk of “religious intolerance” in South Dakota has no basis. I have never heard of a church, synagogue or other religious entity asking devotees to reveal whether they are homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual or whatever at the door before admittance. So just what is it that Wick is seeking by slamming the religious?

“Genderless” marriage, perhaps? A radio interview with Masha Gessen, well-known lesbian journalist, shows that homosexual activists are not really telling the truth about their political agenda. Gessen claims they don’t truly want access to marriage. Rather, they want to radically redefine and eventually eliminate the institution of marriage. She also says that she has three kids with five parents, “more or less,” and she sees no reason they should not have five parents legally.

Wick says defenders of DOMA, the federal Defense of Marriage Act, are hateful. But what is hateful about desiring that people behave in ways that make them healthier? According to the Centers for Disease Control, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men are more severely affected by HIV than any other group. And the latest on antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea is that it will be more difficult to treat due to currently fewer antibiotic options and fewer options that are highly effective.

What are the implications for America’s future, should the Supreme Court strike down DOMA? Diminished religious liberty, diminished speech rights, diminished parental rights, increasing numbers of children denied their inherent right to know and be raised by their biological mother and father and the ultimate destruction of marriage.

Our children and grandchildren deserve better. Much better.

Cindy Flakoll

Concerned Women for America of South Dakota

Leola