Letter to the editor

Don’t ban same-sex marriage

I am new to the area, as this is my first year here at UW-River Falls. Almost as soon as I arrived, I discovered an amendment to ban gay marriage and civil unions was on the Wisconsin ballot this fall.

As I did more research on the ban and its effects in other states, I was shocked by its potential consequences. If this passes, it could drastically affect the safety and security of many Wisconsinites.

In other states where the ban has passed, there have been significant unintended consequences due to the vague language of the second portion of the amendment.

For example, in Utah a group is suing to overturn Salt Lake City’s domestic partnership policy, arguing it “mimics” gay marriage and therefore violates the state’s marriage and civil union ban.

In addition, numerous Ohio judges have ruled domestic violence charges cannot be filed against unmarried people -- whether gay or not gay; at least 15 cases have been dismissed.

These consequences, though unintended, have the possibility of stripping Wisconsin families of health care and security. A very real possibility has lead me to believe that voting “no” on the marriage civil union ban is the only fair and logical vote.

Jason Miller
Student