Kevin Marshall's America

Musings & misadventures of a local treasure

New York Senators: heed a mother’s call


The mother of local writer and artist Alan Ilagan, a homosexual in a committed relationship with another man he considers for all intents and purposes (except legal in NY) his husband, sent a letter to the Times Union that was published in yesterday’s paper:

In 1974, I married a man of a different race. At that in time, there were places right here in the United States where my marriage would have been viewed as a crime. The Alabama state Senate did not repeal the ban on interracial marriage until 1999. Yes, 1999.

The full letter is here. You should read it before you cast your vote.

Kevin Marshall

5 Responses

  1. Ann says:

    Whoa! 1999??????
    Nice to hear from her point of view.

  2. u2 says:

    Didn’t read the letter, but comparing inter-racial heterosexual relationships to homosexual relationships is akin to comparing apples to oranges.

    You’re obviously a “yeah” in the argument vs. my “nay”, and I respect that, but this article has no relevance to the issue at hand.

  3. JayK says:

    Inter-racial and homosexual relationships are both relationships between two consenting adults that were previously not allowed in this country. It’s not apples to oranges. Gay relationships and straight relationships are identical in each and every way except genitalia.

  4. Amanda Talar says:

    Simply and beautifully said by Mama Ilagan.

  5. Rachel says:

    u2 had you read the letter you would understand the comparision being made. Since you have decided that gay marriage is wrong you did not even give the letter writer the respect of reading something before forming an opinion on it. You are correct that interracial marriage and gay marriage are different, but only with one think. gay marriage cannot produce offspring that are a genetic match to both parents. Since there is so much more to a relationship than the ability to parent a child that is genetically your own I think that argument goes out the window. I would much prefer to see two consenting adults who have love and respect for each other allowed to marry than see them continue to be treated as second class citzens. Would you also like them to move to the back of the bus? It is really frustrating that people think it is acceptable to use their beliefs to deny others of the rights they deserve. I also get very frustrated when I see the same church that allowed thousands of children to be abused by pedophiles. The church that allowed these depraved individuals to move to other areas and continue to abuse and then denied the abuse taking a “moral” stand that being gay is wrong.