The State News must be hurting for letters if they're printing filler from Mary Haan and her conservative, reactionary group. ("Sanctity of marriage must be protected," SN 6/10). I'm sorry, Haan, but maybe you missed the memo - marriage equality does not threaten the validity or sanctity of your heterosexual marriage.

Marriage equality is about protecting all types of families. In America, two-parent man/woman households do not have a monopoly on child rearing. We have single mothers and fathers, grandparents raising grandchildren and adoptive parents who all receive state protections. We also have an increasing number of queer couples raising children who are denied any stability by the state for their children because family law does not protect queer families.

Passing hateful amendments does nothing to stop two adults from entering into a loving, caring relationship, but it does put their children at risk. If that's Haan's real goal, to place children in unstable family situations and tear families apart, then she should say that instead of using the rhetoric of Christian love to continue discrimination in a legal contract.

Taking discrimination out of the legal institution of marriage would allow any two adults to enter into the highest possible relationship and protect children, but would not eliminate restrictions on age of familial relationships. Plain and simple.

The marriage amendment is not the work of "rationalists." Stop homophobia and protect the children of queer couples. Decline to sign the marriage amendment petition.

Jon Hoadley
chairman of the Alliance of LBGT Students