A narrow-minded opinion piece appeared yesterday in the Cavalier Daily, the student newspaper of my double alma mater, the University of Virginia. I was alerted to it by UVA’s gay alumni group.
I’ve sent the Cavailer Daily the following letter in response.
To the Editor:
Re: “Extending benefits beyond the law” (Feb. 10):
One of Daniel Bagley’s rationales in opposing the extension of University benefits to same-sex partners is that the State of Virginia does not recognize same-sex marriages. Readers should note that the following public universities, all located in states that do not recognize same-sex marriage, nevertheless offer benefits to same-sex partners: the University of Michigan, the University of Illinois, and the Berkeley and Los Angeles campuses of the University of California.
Additionally, Mr. Bagley uses the tired rhetorical trick of “special rights” to make his point. People who oppose gay rights have often used this term in a misguided attempt to show that gays are seeking rights above and beyond those that are granted to straight people. This is absolutely false. Gay couples are not asking for anything more than the same benefits that are available to straight couples. It’s long past time to put the canard of “special rights” out of its misery; that duck won’t quack.
Mr. Bagley has the right to have his feelings about homosexuality and to express those feelings to his heart’s content. But I hope he spends as much time trying to understand others’ opinions as he does expressing his own. He could get quite an education that way.
Jeff _______
CLAS ’95, LAW ’99
I hope they print it.
