The Free Press, Mankato, MN

March 11, 2010

Your View: Marriage a human right

By Tami Nielsen, Nicollet

NICOLLET — Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. And I am pretty certain there isn't a single person on this earth that is without sin.

So, I will wait for God to pass judgment upon me when I meet him in Heaven or Hell or the waiting area in between. If he chooses to send me to Hell, so be it. But I know I will be happy in the meantime because I was able to live my life the way I wanted to, not conforming to society’s way of life.

You may not agree with gay marriage and that's fine, but allowing gays to marry will not ruin our country, allowing narrow-minded idiots to conceive will.

Who cares who gets married, really? Marriage is a human right, not a heterosexual privilege. We are all God’s children. Who are any of us to judge anyone?

A recent Your View writer, Peter Etzell, doesn’t know me, but many people do. I was married for 10 years and made many friends over those years. I am still the same person I have always been except for two things: I am now divorced and I have a girlfriend with whom I am so in love, and that makes me a much better person now than when I was married.

I have taken on the mindset that if you don't like me because I am gay it's your loss not mine.

I pray everyday for my sins, my family, the soldiers fighting for their lives and our country, my two children, and for those who need a little extra guidance and prayer. I will add Etzell to my list.

Love isn’t gender specific.