No on Prop. 8: protect our civil liberties

As several readers accurately noted last week, Proposition 8 is indeed an "infringement on freedoms." As an example of how far people will go to infringe upon our freedoms, just look at my lawn, now devoid of our "no on 8" lawn signs, which were stolen.

As homeowners and registered voters, my husband and I certainly have the right, the freedom, to place a lawn sign on our personal property. Sadly, some Prop. 8 supporters are so fearful of this measure, they will take desperate, even illegal, measures to fortify their voting base.

You decide. Will you be voting with people who believe in equality and freedom? Or will you be voting for people who are so scared they steal signs off your personal property in the middle of the night?

Vote no on 8, no on hate. Deborah Lopez Agoura Hills

We are writing to ask you to vote no on Prop. 8. Although we may disagree on religious and moral issues, including the question, "Is it okay to be gay?," we truly believe we can all agree on the issue of civil rights.

If religious communities wish to disallow or discourage homosexuality or homosexual marriage, that is certainly within their rights. No one is forcing your pastor, priest, rabbi or imam to marry two men or two women. And each family may choose what, if any, religious community to belong to and what to teach their children on the topic of homosexuality.

To deny any group certain rights is to diminish us all. It was not that long ago that our country shamefully denied rights to African Americans, Jews and countless other groups of people. Laws existed making it illegal for a person of color to marry a white person. Let us not make the same mistake again with Prop. 8.

The deceptive commercials in favor of Prop. 8 claim that children will be taught about gay marriage in school. This is absurd. They will simply learn that our great country demands that our laws do not discriminate, even when we may disagree with someone else's life choices.

Allowing homosexual individuals to continue (it is currently legal) calling their unions "marriage" doesn't change anything. Since the California Supreme Court ruled recently that homosexual couples could marry, there have not been scores of new gay people or of new gay couples. We simply cannot understand how two men or two women being "married" is any threat to your marriage or to ours.

Regardless of your religious affiliation, we urge you to vote no on Prop. 8 and take a stand on the side of justice, equality and fairness. Samantha and Noah Bookman Agoura Hills

I am writing to you today to ask you to please vote no on Prop. 8, which will eliminate samesex marriages in California if it passes.

First, and very selfishly, I want to get married. I don't want a "commitment ceremony." I want you to know that I mean it when I say that Lisa is the person I love. I want you to take me seriously when I say I want to be with her forever, through the good times and the bad times. If we are just "partners," the level of commitment we have seems "less than." I want to have the commitment of marriage. I want to know that our commitment is recognized not only by us, but by our family, our friends, our workplaces and our government.

Second, I want my kids to know that their parents love and care for them and for each other just as much as their friends' parents do. I want my kids to know that both of us can pick them up from school; that both of us can take them to their doctor appointments; and that both of us can sign them up for soccer or little league.

The California Constitution provides that every person should be treated equally under the law. The California Supreme Court has held that sexual orientation "does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights." After releasing this decision this past May, same-sex marriage became legal in California. Couples have been getting married all summer long, and there have been no adverse effects. The institution of marriage hasn't caved in and California hasn't broken off into the Pacific Ocean.

I also want you to know that my marriage will in no way ruin your marriage, schools will not teach same-sex marriage any more than they teach opposite-sex marriage, and churches will not lose their tax exempt status.

Now, I can assure you that the defeat of this proposition will not mean the disintegration of your marriage or of our society. Instead, it will mean that Lisa and I will be able to share the same life that you are entitled to with the person you love.

I hope that when you make it to the polls to vote on Nov. 4, regardless of your party politics and regardless of your choice for president, that you choose to vote no on Prop. 8. Amanda Pearlman Calabasas