I moved to Washington 16 years ago, coming from a state in the Bible Belt.

At that time, I thought that it would be destructive for children to be adopted and raised in a home with gay parents. That was before I began to open my eyes and heart and learn different views.

I came to know gay couples who were raising children, and doing a beautiful job. And I began considering the children in those heterosexual households where they were raised poorly. And the discord involved in homes where marriages fail and end in divorce. I came to see that it was a ludicrous notion that children would somehow be harmed by living in a gay household. I have come a very long way.  Now my best friend is gay and a wonderful mother with a partner who adores her child.

I think the proposed law which would allow gay marriage is the right and fair thing to do. And there is no way I could imagine that when my friend or any other gay person joins me in the world of marriage and its honor and privileges, it will in any way diminish the sanctity and sacredness of my own.

Sadly, we humans feel the need to be exclusive. I believe that God’s capacity for love is endless, and that He will welcome all His children at the banquet table. I believe the Bible is a living word and that if we were not capable of growing in our interpretation of it over time, we would not have adapted away from discrimination against women and people of color.  And we would be stuck with the notion that marriage is only viable if couples intend to procreate. Regardless, the proposed law does not interfere with a church’s prerogative to decide about conducting marriage ceremonies. It is strictly a civil matter. Therefore I think they should have no role in influencing an outcome which only grants civil freedoms.

I hope that others reading this will challenge themselves, like I did, and realize there is nothing to fear.

Kathy Golic

North Bend