This is a letter that my friend Kevin sent to a friend of his who works on the Bush re-election campaign.

I have been trying to compose my thoughts on the issue of gay marriage for a while now, but I think that Kevin's letter states what I wanted to say more eloquently than I ever could. It is incredible to me that in a country that claims to be defending the rights of people all over the world, that tax-paying, law-abiding American citizens would be denied rights by the Consitution. The Constitution is meant to guarantee and protect the rights of our citizens, not take them away. Who exactly would be protected by such an amendment? Ok, enough of my words….here are Kevin's:

Dear (name withheld),

I think I am angrier today at a political figure than ever before in my life. As I am sure you know, your boss came out yesterday in favor of a federal Constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. In doing so, not only has he taken a very personal issue for me and millions of others and politicized it to energize the most conservative of his voting base, but he has used the weight of the presidency as a club against me and my best friends. If I hadn't already been convinced that Mr. Bush has no respect for values that differ from his, this would have convinced me beyond all doubt. By the way, my mother, who voted for Bush in the last election, told me that his State of the Union speech criticizing those "activist judges" finally convinced her that he is not worthy of her vote. And I doubt that she is the only one out there who feels that way. Every parent wishes their child to have a happy, love-filled life, and there are lots of gay children out there. Despite your boss's best efforts, this is becoming legally possible for them in America.

Until today, I believed that civil unions were enough, were a necessary compromise to grant equal rights while still avoiding angering too many people who just don't get it. My opinion changed today. I wish that we, as a nation, could understand so many years after the phrase first entered the lexicon, that separate really is not equal. Civil unions granted state by state still would not confer the rights and privileges of marriage that the federal government allows. I now believe that the right to choose who I marry is one that belongs to me no matter what the Constitution says. I see no reason not to demand from my government the full rights granted to my heterosexual counterparts to decide that I know best with whom I should spend my life. For that altering of my opinion, I suppose I have Mr. Bush to thank.

The thing about all this that I guess makes me the angriest is that there is no argument against gay marriage that is not based on religious belief. It amazes me that all Americans, even those with strong religious faith, are not disgusted by Mr. Bush's blatant, disgraceful attempts to impose his own faith on the legislative agenda. The very heart of the separation of church and state is the idea that religion should not impact social legislation. A secular government is what we have, despite Mr. Bush's continuing efforts to turn us into a theocracy. You cannot legislate morality, and you cannot single out one group of citizens and deny them the rights granted to all others. The Constitution has never been used to strip away rights, only to broaden them. For Mr. Bush to propose this amendment threatens the very document that he took an oath to protect. Just who is protected if the Constitution can be used to take away civil rights?

Finally, it amazes me that you, one of the kindest and least judgmental people I have known, can work for this man and believe that he deserves to run the country. I am disappointed in you for continuing your work. I apologize if that upsets you, but I do want to impress you with the depth of my disgust with this, the latest in a string of abuses of power that I perceive in the nation's highest office. How can you in good faith continue to work for a man who says that I, your friend, do not possess the dignity or ability to choose my own partner? How can you support a president whose hypocrisy is so apparent? It seems to me that Mr. Bush did not mind the "activist judges" that put him in office, but when they start handing out civil rights, he cannot stand it.

When I was returning home from rehearsal tonight, I happened to look up at the Empire State Building and notice that its upper floors were awash in lavender light. That's what they do on gay pride day, and it made me very happy to see that whoever controls the lights up there is on our side. I hoped that the message of support those lights signify would carry much farther than the lights themselves.

I do not think this amendment will pass, though its mere proposal has so enraged me (and, I believe, millions of others) that I felt I had to write to you and let you know how angry we are. You are the only person I know in the administration, so I know that my occasional rages are dumped on you unfairly. For that, I apologize. I do hope that you are well and that you will come to believe as I and my friends do, that we should not allow our president to manipulate the feelings of Americans in this cruel, bigoted way.

With Love,
Kevin