Dear Editor,This letter is in response to Chris Thedy’s letter in the Oct. 26 edition of the East Tennessean.

I enjoyed reading Mr. Thedy’s opinion, and while I agree with him on principal that state-defined recognition of relationships is a hindrance to all citizens, I disagree with a large part of his argument.

Mr. Thedy, like many people on campus, seems to have great respect for our country’s Constitution.

He certainly knows that the document never specifically mentions marriage.

However, since the neo-conservative revolution of the 1980s, government officials have attempted to amend this important document in a way that would define marriage between couples of the opposite sex – in case you missed it, this was a wedge issue in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections.

This act of political hubris, would use what Mr. Thedy correctly ascertains as ‘simply a framework for organizing our government’, into a weapon that enforces the status quo and denies liberties to certain individuals.

Mr. Thedy echoes the opinions of many of my heterosexual friends and thinks that benefits similar to marriage are granted to homosexual couples with the proper documentation.

Unfortunately, he is wrong.

A good example of this denial of visitation happened as recently as September 2009, when a Miami, Fla., court ruled that even with proper documentation, hospitals were allowed to deny access to any couple regardless of documentation, except those who are legally married.

More information on this is available at www.gaycoupleslawblog.com.

Thomas Jefferson is often quoted as saying: “Bigotry is the disease of ignorance … education and free discussion are the antidotes of both.”

I feel proud to be part of a campus that highlights an issue that would have been unspeakable 20 years ago.

Through education and appropriate discourse I have faith there is no problem we cannot overcome.

– JM Wampler

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