Gay nuptials will become law

Kudos to Daniel Akst for a thoughtful column about the slow, steady gains same-sex couples are making on the road to true marriage equality in the United States ["The public is grasping that gay rites are right," Opinion, Feb. 14]. The regressive forces surely will not give up without a fight, but history shows that prejudice gives way to acceptance, and ignorance inevitably falls prey to enlightenment.

It's truly bizarre that same-sex marriage opponents seem convinced, without a scintilla of evidence, that gay nuptials will somehow affect their own marriages. How do one family's life choices impact another, separate family? It seems much more likely that this is a mere red herring, meant to disguise the fact that gay marriage opponents seek to foist their moral opinions on others.

The other principal objection of which we are constantly reminded is that gays seek to "redefine" marriage, which is ostensibly a bad thing. But who says redefining concepts is negative? The phrase "American voter" has been redefined more than once since its inception, coming eventually to include women and African-Americans, and each revision has served as a marked improvement.

From civil rights to women's equality, the zeitgeist always moves toward progress, and it inevitably will for gays, as well. In a free country, each of us is entitled to our moral opinions, but our government unwaveringly assures equal rights to all. It is time that we live up to our ideals.

Dan Ferrisi

Garden City