there has to be compromise

I voted for Prop 102 in AZ. I've taken a lot of heat from friends and coworkers for it. I've been called a bigot, intolerant, stupid, irrational, and had my beliefs mocked (I'm a Mormon, BTW). I've kinda just taken it all in - I'm a firm believer that when someone has something unflattering to say about you, there's usually some truth to it, however small it may be.

Let me just say that I really, really feel for gay people. There is no doubt there's an equality problem out there - and they are the subject of ridicule, abuse, violence, and bigotry. Regardless of your stance on homosexuality, any decent human has to agree that nobody deserves that. Mormons have lived it too - and have volumes filled with stories of murders, violence, loss of land, home, and life - and so we should and do understand the plight of gay people.

I view gay marriage kinda like I view a bill sent to Congress proposing billions of dollars to benefit starving kids, that has a rider on it that also sends billions of dollars to oil companies. If you oppose the bill because of the oil rider, then people accuse you of hating starving kids.

Most supporters of Prop 8 and 102 simply want to protect marriage. I hope my sincerity comes across when I say -- Please give gay couples in committed lifelong relationships EVERY civil right afforded to heterosexual couples. Make it easy and cheap for them. Make it universal. And stop harassing them.

But is it too much to ask to leave marriage alone?

People, we need to start talking about how to compromise and agree, not pointing fingers and fueling the bigotry on both sides of the issue.

Open to ideas...