Letter: Thanks, Hastings, for making it possible for everyone to simply live their lives

To the editor,

A while back our home was featured in a Hastings Star Gazette article called "Who Lives There?"

After telling a friend about it, he expressed concern for a possible backlash due to our status as a same-sex couple. I assured him that Hastings is not like that, and we felt that we had nothing to be concerned about. We were not disappointed in our town.

Hastings has been nothing but generous and kind to us, our children and now, their children. Many times throughout the week as we bike the trails, shop local businesses, workout at the YMCA and take our grandkids on local adventures, we comment out loud how blessed we are to live in this town that offers so much.

A recent opinion writer to this paper gave her multipoint statement as to why we should vote “Yes” to amend the state constitution to deny the right to marry for couples like us. Her statements reflect the fear- based talking points provided by a political organization backing this effort. We then received a call from a political organization that we support asking us to write a rebuttal to the paper using their talking points. We declined. Why?

Because we know that our lives are being used as a get-out-the-vote campaign. One side is using this amendment proposition as a tool to fan the flames of fear to get their conservative constituents to the voting booth. The other side uses shame to get their liberal constituents to do the same.

The fact is that it is currently not legal for same sex couples to marry in Minnesota. A constitutional amendment is unnecessary. We hope someday that changes, and given the fact that polls say an overwhelming majority of people under the age of 35 believe same sex couples should be allowed to marry, we are encouraged for our future. However, until then we will continue living our lives as loving partners,committed parents, joyful grandparents, productive employees and responsible citizens.

We hope that you will vote “No” on this Amendment. Tell politicians that the lives of gay couples in loving committed relationships should not be put up for a popular vote. But, more than that, we hope that you will study the facts and talk to some of the couples that would be affected by this change to our constitution, then vote your conscience without being manipulated by fear and shame tactics.

Thank you, Hastings, for being the kind of town that makes it unnecessary to defend our life ... only to live it.

Gratefully,

Wendy Loomis and Karen Egeberg

Tags: letters to the editor, opinion, hastings, minnesota, spiral, local, may