Friday, March 29, 2024

Many marriages can be childless

In John La Fleur’s column published Friday, he made public his ignorance of the topic of gay and lesbian relationships, as well as the role marriage plays in society.

Sociologists recognize marriage not as a “legal union from which children are born,” but as “a multifaceted bond based on commitment, love and intimacy.” In addition, the reality of marriage is that many marriages remain childless by choice.

La Fleur should have done some research before presuming to know what marriage means to American society. He acknowledges that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered couples are capable of the same kind of love as heterosexual couples. Why, then, should they not receive the same rights?

As a woman with diverse sexuality, I find his generalizations about the causes of homosexuality to be erroneous. I have a perfectly healthy relationship with my father, in fact all male relatives, and I was never abused in any way. In fact, I am privileged to have extremely satisfying relationships within my family. How can one account for my sexuality if La Fleur is correct in his assumptions?

In response to his ignorant comparison of gays and lesbians to dogs, La Fleur again has not done his homework. Animals engage in homosexual behavior in the presence of members of the opposite sex, and without any kind of struggle for dominance.

In addition, animal behavior is not the reason LGBT people deserve equal rights. We deserve equal rights because, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Before spreading homophobic rhetoric, I suggest that in the future La Fleur does his research more carefully and better acquaints himself with the reality of our society.

Erin Reichenbach
mathematics junior

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