I want to thank Rex Rhoades for his commentary in the Sun Journal Feb. 22. I found it a clear-eyed and compelling look at the issue of same-sex marriage from a very personal point of view.

His analogy to the history of African-American civil rights, while troublesome to some, nonetheless makes these facts clear:

• We Americans ought to have learned that there is no such thing as separate and equal;

• There are patterns in the way that ignorance and prejudice nourish fear and can lead even to hatred and violence;

• These societal malignancies can only be ended through understanding, one life story at a time.

His family story really brings that last point home. It’s much harder to demonize people who live next door. It’s much easier to learn the truth about people’s lives when you think about them one life at a time.

I only hope that the process of extending civil and human rights does not prove as violent as the African-American civil rights process has been.

And I hope Mr. Rhoades is wrong about the time frame. Recently, I heard Pat Peard describe how a young woman at North Yarmouth Academy came up to her after Ms. Peard’s debate with Michael Heath and asked bluntly, “Will I be able to marry my lover in my lifetime?” Ms. Peard said yes, she thought so, while this woman was still young enough to have children.

And the young woman burst into tears.

Stephen C. Farrand, Freeport

Copy the Story Link