To the editor:

I am deeply troubled by the recent ruling by a federal judge in Norfolk to overturn the majority vote to ban homosexual marriage in our state.

It sets a disturbing precedent when the attorney general can simply decide not to uphold portions of the Virginia Constitution with which he does not personally agree. Will freedom of religion and freedom of speech be next?

I do not support homosexuality in any form, nor do I condone it. I do feel compassion and recognize the worth and dignity of those struggling with homosexual desires, as I struggle with issues of my own.

This decision opens the door for other forms of unnatural marriage, which will in turn further degrade our society and harm those most vulnerable, children, whom natural marriage was designed to protect.

I am bothered by this apparent political publicity stunt being made public for Valentine’s Day. I did not vote for this, and neither did more than a million Virginians.

The love lives of adults and what they elect to do with their private lives should not be a protected status and are not a legitimate civil rights issue. The well being of children in a law-abiding society governed by the rule of law is what is worth fighting for.

Karin Smith

Smithfield