Newspapers have published letters condemning same-sex unions that mirror the right-wing rampage against gay couples. These letters claim that such unions or marriages will harm or even be the end of the American family. However, government figures just released show the true threats to the American family: One in four children is born to an unmarried male-and-female couple (a 300 percent increase since 1985). Half of marriages between men and women end in divorce, a figure that apparently would be much higher if more men and women got married in the first place. It seems that “straight” marriage is going out of style.
What should be more disturbing to those who would condemn the gay minority is an actual risk to the well-being of American families: the thousands of “straight” parents who refuse to pay child support.
So, where is the threat to the American family by gays who only want legal recognition of their loving relationships? Maybe the guy who just started shacking up with the woman and her kid next door can tell you.
J. Mark Daugherty
RIDGEFIELD
