To the editor:
I rarely feel the need to climb onto a public soapbox, but the recent controversy surrounding Chik-Fil-A and gay marriage has left me rather verbose lately. Why is it that some people feel that they can state vile, hateful things and then hide behind the First Amendment as justification for their words? Yes, I do appreciate my freedom of speech, but I also realize that sometimes my moral and ethical standards rise above that freedom. There are many actions that are legal in this country, but that does not mean that those actions are morally or ethically acceptable.
I am in particular taking issue with a recent letter to the editor by Donald Wert. My biggest concern with Mr. Wert's letter is his audacity to compare a relationship between two same-sex consenting adults in a loving relationship with the sadistic, pedophilic acts of Jerry Sandusky. How can you assume that all homosexuals are pedophiles? Most homosexuals are not deviant sexual offenders of any kind.
Also in the letter, Mr. Wert states that his (and his fellow Tea Party members) presence at Support Chik-Fil-A day was a "healing balm" for the Penn State community. I assure you that the presence of such divisive stands against others because of their lifestyle is not "healing" to our community at all. To the contrary, judging others like this is actually perpetuating hate and pain in an already aching community.
Mr. Wert also questioned the mayors of Boston and Chicago for focusing on admonishing the CEO of Chik-Fil-A's stance against gay marriage, stating that these mayors should be more focused on crime in their cities. I would argue the same against you, Mr. Wert, the other members of the Tea Party, and the thousands of others who took an entire day to sit at Chik-Fil-A and, in my opinion, negatively pass judgments on others who have a different lifestyle. Imagine if all that time had been channeled in to positive, productive activities organized across America on that day. Why, you could have cleaned a park, volunteered for a social service agency, fed the homeless, walked to raise money for cancer, or donated towards research towards autism or Alzheimer s.
I find all this negativity and judgment surrounding same-sex relationships to be quite disheartening. I can only hope and pray that I am able to raise my children to practice not only tolerance, but acceptance of other lifestyles and to realize that others deserve the same rights that we have. And, I hope that I can guide them to use their intelligence and energy into productive projects that do not involve discrimination and divisiveness.
Shelly Krohn
Reedsville
