This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated.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 Tribune editorial of Dec. 6 regarding Utah's "gold standard" on marriage ("Utah's anti-gay marriage stance is divisive"):
Speaking as one who lives outside Utah, I'm forever amazed by the Tribune's naive, arrogant and two-dimensional grasp of social and religious issues.
As far as I know, the Utah law and others like it do not diminish the importance of or contributions made by single parents, blended or adoptive families. To pretend otherwise is to construct yet another easily assaulted straw man. A family consisting of a married man and woman with biological children is the historical ideal but most of us are bright enough to recognize that this ideal isn't always possible.
We do the best with the circumstances we have without jettisoning the most fundamental building block of civilization.
Brad Smith
Santa Clarita, Calif.