Same-sex couples have the right to live as they choose, but they don’t have the right to redefine marriage for everyone. R-74 is not an issue of legal rights.

In 2009 voters approved the “Everything but Marriage” law, granting same-sex couples every right and benefit of marriage. This is contrary to the flood of TV ads overwhelming us.

However, there are rights at stake:

1. Parents will lose control over what their children are taught about marriage. This new definition replaces traditional marriage.

2. The bill offers no protection for individual rights.

In Massachusetts and D.C., where marriage has been redefined, Catholic charities closed their adoption programs. They had to choose between fulfilling their social mission based on their religious beliefs, or accepting this new definition of marriage.

Business owners face harmful legal consequences: Inn-keepers in Vermont had to pay $30,000 because they declined the use of their private facilities for same-sex weddings.

Thirty-two states have voted on marriage. Each time, the people agreed that marriage is between a man and a woman. Now it’s our turn. Rejecting Referendum 74 honors the rights of everyone.

– Marjorie Gordon