Letter: Coalition spreads hatred based on sexual orientation

Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2000 | 9:52 a.m.

Our federal and state Constitutions both guarantee that churches can never be forced to marry persons against the will of the church. Priests, ministers and rabbis can and do refuse to marry people because of their religion or their sex and no law can require them to perform such marriages. Other clergy can and do marry all people (including lesbians and gays). But it is ludicrous to say that this basic constitutional right of churches may be lost if the "protection" initiative is not successful.

Ziser also asserts that unless his petition drive is successful, schools may be required to teach that same sex marriages are legal. That is another complete absurdity. Regardless of the success of this petition drive, the law in Nevada restricts marriages to couples of different sexes. Do our schools currently teach that common-law marriages are legal because they may be legal in some states other than Nevada? Of course not.

It seems strange that the "coalition" purports to be trying to show the importance of marriage by refusing to allow certain people the right to be legally monogamous.

Ziser's "Coalition for the Protection of Marriage" knows that its initiative has only one purpose. That is to provide a platform for Ziser and his band of religious zealots and political opportunists to spread hatred for certain people based on their sexual orientation.

The coalition's deceit will certainly have no effect on the protection of marriage.

MEL LIPMAN