Contrary to the statement yesterday by Chris Larmore, I think it is important during the past couple of weeks that there has been discussion about what it means to be gay ("Letters leave out big campus issues" SN 8/1).

The diversity of ideas reflected in the opinion section indicates that a lot of people care very passionately about religious issues and public policy related to homosexuality.

I will not pretend to be an expert on what it means to be gay or lesbian. However, during the last three years nothing has gotten me more incensed than statements made by other individuals, politicians, public figures and even family and friends, that in some way condemn those who are homosexual because they are different, or worse, "unnatural."

Furthermore, while I cannot claim to understand everything about what it means to be gay, or religious for that matter, I do know something about love. I find it unjust and unbearable that any government or population would deny any one person in a loving relationship with another person, who happens to be of the same sex, the same rights and privileges available to heterosexual couples.

Moreover, maintaining the status quo by keeping marriage limited to heterosexual couples, because it is "traditional," seems to be bigoted in nature.

I admit, there was a time when even I would literally "judge a book by its cover." But that was when I was a child, at a time when my perception of the world, and books, was very narrow. To continue to do so as an adult, however, would demonstrate a childish way of thinking.

Labeling any person or population in a negative way based upon their race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation demonstrates a childish and primitive reflex.

To be sure, there are other issues to be discussed at MSU such as tuition hikes, but that stems from problems with our state's budget, and a philosophy by an unfortunately large number of elected officials that all taxes and social programs are "evil" and every man, woman and child must fend for themselves.

Perhaps a problem greater than tuition increases, and greater even than the ignorance of whole societies, is the prevalence of the notion that there is only one way to do things, and that there is only one way to be moral. It does not have to remain this way.

Edward Daligga
social relations and urban and regional planning senior