Religious views, or lack thereof, must be protected

To the editor:

Alaska was the first state to amend its constitution to state that marriage is only between a man and a woman. This makes it illegal for same-sex couples to marry. By gay marriage being illegal, gay couples are in fact being denied religious freedom. Civil marriages and religious marriages are separate institutions. The main reason for denying marriage to gay couples is that many religions consider homosexuality a sin.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution clearly states that a person’s religious views, or lack thereof, must be protected. Same-sex couples are denied marriage benefits that straight couples already have. A few of those benefits are joint ownership and medical decision-making. If one member of a gay couple who has been together for 20 years becomes critically ill, visitation may not even be allowed since the other isn’t considered a “spouse or immediate family member.” As well, denying these marriages is a form of minority discrimination.

America was founded on the concept that the majority should rule, but the rights of minorities should be protected. It is the main reason we have the Bill of Rights as well as anti-slavery and equal protection amendments. Denying marriage to homosexual couples is no different than denying marriage to Hispanic or black couples.

In conclusion, I believe that the Alaska Constitution should be amended to abolish this form of discrimination.

Jeffrey Frick Jr.

Palmer