Gay not a choice; equal rights is

I am writing in response to Gene Maril's April 15th letter that gay marriage equals special treatment. In the letter, he points out that I have the same rights as he does - as he is not allowed to marry a same sex person. In point, I am free to marry someone of the opposite sex which is equal to his rights.

I thank him for pointing out the obvious. All I have to do to be able to marry is to change who I am. If I want to marry a woman, all I have to do is become male. Simply change my chromosomes from XX to XY.

If that were that simple, it would not have taken constitutional amendments and laws to be passed to give women the right to vote, own property and obtain a college degree. Women who wanted these things could simply choose to be male, and obtain these "special rights".

I did not choose to be a lesbian and to be attracted to and love women. I was raised in a conservative Protestant home. I was taught that I am an abomination to God simply because of being attracted to and loving women. I tried desperately to be heterosexual - to the point of being hospitalized for being suicidal.

For me to live, meant that I had to accept that I did not choose to be a lesbian, rather I had to accept that I am lesbian.

Maril infers that "Gay Marriage" is a special right because everyone is able to choose to be non-gay. I have been accused of my choosing to be a lesbian, yet when I ask others when they chose to be non-gay, I receive no response.

I do not have the option of choosing to be non-gay - it is how I was born. Just as it is Maril's right to be non-gay. It cannot be helped. He did not choose to be non-gay, it's just the way he was born.

I am not asking him to give up his right to love and marry the person he chooses. I am simply asking for the same right - for me to love and marry the person I choose. I am asking for equal rights.

Dayle Roberts

Palatine