Letter's key points disputed

To the editor:

I am writing in response to a recent letter opposed to same-sex marriage. The letter stated that homosexuals were the "main cause" of AIDS. That is a blatant stereotype. Careless sexual practices are the primary factor in transmitting AIDS. Most of the people looking to unify their same-sex relationships are monogamous, which would make them not at all responsible for the spread of HIV hat they often get blamed for.

The letter also referred to homosexuals as not "moral" or "decent." Those are subjective terms, and the writer was using them to portray Christian definitions. Homosexuals aren't lawbreakers or murderers any more than the rest of us. According to the Constitution, they are moral and decent.

The reference to the Dark Ages was also grossly misrepresented. In the Dark Ages, the church ruled the land, and many important Christian philosophers -- Thomas Aquinas, Augustine -- paved the way for knowledge. Most historians say it was the invention of the printing press that allowed the middle class to escape from the church through secular reading and education.

The letter mentioned that if judges allowed same-sex marriage, they would be going against their oath of office. The judges' oath only mentions doing what is constitutionally sound, not just what is sound for Christianity.

I have more research to do before I make up my mind regarding same-sex legal unity, but I thought these points needed to be noted.

MARK ELLIOTT

Cape Girardeau