This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
The issue of whether to stay Judge Robert Shelby's ruling on gay marriage in Utah — even on gay marriage itself — boiled down to harm — to others and to the gay couples ("Judge denies AG's request to halt same-sex marriages," Tribune, Dec. 23).
A decade ago the Supreme Court ruled that sodomy laws are an unconstitutional violation of the 14th Amendment's guarantee of liberty and due process. So, given that the same-sex individuals will be living in a domestic arrangement, what actual harm is being done in allowing them to get married? They are, essentially, already.
Of course, real harm is not the reason behind opposition to marriage equality. It's fear and dislike, pure and simple. But when were those ever good reasons to deny another group — be it Jews, Poles, blacks or women — the same rights and privileges you enjoy?
Do for others as you would have them do for you is a mighty good standard, and not just for Christians, so-called.
Andrew Beckett
Snyderville