This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2004, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
If you believe that gay and lesbian couples should be able to live together, have insurance and estate benefits and should be able to visit and care for each other in hospitals, then you must vote NO on Amendment 3.
Amendment 3 goes too far. It doesn't just define marriage, it would bar gay and lesbian couples from having any rights “substantially equivalent” to marriage. Most Utahns, even Sen. Orrin Hatch, agree that gay and lesbian couples deserve basic rights and protections, and Amendment 3 would strip away what few these families currently have.
Gay marriage is already illegal in Utah four times over. Voting no would not change that, but voting yes would hurt too many families in our state. Whether you support gay marriage or not, this amendment goes too far.
Aimee Selfridge
LaVerkin