OUR VIEW: Keep church and state separate in Utah

Lately it seems like people are either protesting Boyd K. Packer, coordinating efforts to express their love and support to Boyd K. Packer, or simply just don’t know exactly who Boyd K. Packer is.

    Clearly, it is the current hot topic within the ongoing gay rights movement, particularly in the state of Utah.

    Before jumping to any decisions about who is right and who is wrong, it seems important to remember the forum in which Packer spoke. Like it or not, Packer’s words were spoken in a forum which is intended to be directed at members of the church which he represents, and in that forum, he is entitled to whatever expression he chooses. Basically, Packer’s talk was a church issue, not a state issue.

    Not to say that what he said was either right or wrong, but rather that it was what Packer felt was relevant to deliver to his audience at that time. It seems that beyond the surface of viewing Packer’s talk as a hate speech, the real concern is that his talk may have future negative impacts on the gay community’s political outlook, especially in our state.

    What’s really important to remember is that the current gay rights movement, whether you support it or are against it, is this generation’s equivalent to civil rights movements of the past. Some discount that notion, saying gay rights are different because they believe homosexuality is a choice rather than an inborn trait. To that point, the overall population may never know one way or another, but it seems tough to believe that so many people would simply choose a sexual orientation that results in as much political and social oppression as the gay community currently is faced with, without deep-seeded physical and emotional feelings.

    This movement is not going to go away anytime soon, and most likely never will until the gay community has equal rights with everybody else. Chances are that in 20 years or so, our generation and future generations are going to look back and wonder how we ever thought gay couples, and individuals, didn’t deserve the same rights as others.

    Until that point is reached, the debate will surely rage on, but hopefully the hate within the debate can steadily recede from both sides as understandings are reached over time.