It is fairly easy to proclaim that "marriage is only between a man and a woman" when you just happen to be heterosexual, and you assume all your children are as well.
But, as Ohio Sen. Rob Portman learned, it's quite another matter when your own son tells you he's gay. Only when the issue hits home do some adults realize that black-and-white thinking just doesn't jive with the more colorful panorama of life, and the true mystery of human love.
How could someone ever wish that only their straight children will fall in love and get married but think their gay or lesbian child doesn't deserve the same happiness? As Portman wrote in his recent op-ed piece in the Columbus Dispatch, "I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn't deny them the opportunity to get married."
It's also fairly easy for legislators to vote "no" on marriage equality when they're heterosexual and married and when they think it will never affect them personally. But why wait for the issue to hit home? Why not engage in some reflection now? Are you really prepared for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren to remember you some day as one of their ancestors who fought marriage equality?
Joseph Nix
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Rochester
