This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Re "Judge weighs arguments on Utah's same-sex-marriage ban," Tribune, Dec. 5:
Defenders of the Utah state constitution's ban on same-sex marriage seem hung up on the fact that a gay couple can't procreate. Whatever.
The question of parenting is just as important. What about all those Utah children currently being raised by gay couples? And those already-married gay couples with families who moved from a marriage equality state? Denying them the stability of a legal family is doing real harm.
The U.S. Constitution guarantees equal protection of the laws. Laws should equally apply to homosexual citizens as well as heterosexual citizens. Otherwise, all those super-patriotic Utahns who say the Pledge of Allegiance everywhere don't really believe it when then profess to believe in "liberty and justice for all."
Thomas Decker
Salt Lake City