Relax. Gay marriage is no big deal, folks.

As the California state supreme court decides to uphold or overturn Proposition 8 (the current ban on gay-marriage) in California, nervous readers are pouring in letters to the Fence Post warning us of how morally and legally imperative it is that we support the ban and prevent this abomination from spreading like some kind of biblical plague.

The vast majority of these letters are written by men and fall under two categories; religious/moral opposition or legal/constitutional opposition. The religious/moral letters remind us of the Bible's displeasure with homosexuality and warn of the "dangerous moral signals" same-sex marriage sends. The legal opposition rests in the "marriage is defined as the union of a man and a woman" argument and therefore same-sex partners should not enjoy the same legal rights that "normal" married couples do.

My advice to those aghast at the prospect of same-sex marriage; take a deep breath, the final reckoning is not upon us.

The total percent of gay men and women in the U.S. is very small compared to the entire population. Moreover, the numbers who wish to marry in a legal partnership are smaller still. Then there's that boogeyman called science that has debunked most of the negative myths surrounding the scary specter or gay marriage.

Here's the deal; legalized gay marriage is not the second coming of Sodom and Gomorrah. You will not "turn" gay nor will your children or grandchildren if gay marriage is legalized. Our dread moral decay will not step up to light speed.

Come on folks, don't we have much larger issues to be concerned about than gay marriage?

Dave Crost

Prospect Heights