DJC47: The examples of gay marriage's "implications on society" that you listed in your post are not true. This is how Prop 8 passed -- too many people believing erroneous information! You said: "Would you for example want to force religious adoption organizations to allow adoption of their parishoners children to gay couples? That is what has happened in Masachussettes to the Catholic church." The Catholic adoption agency in Mass. was accepting public money and placing children as an agent of the state. They had, in fact, been willingly placing children in gay households until the vatican found out and told them to stop. LDS Family Services does not accept public money, and would therefore, not be sued for not placing children with gay families. You said: "Would you want to require the public schools to teach gay marriage as an alternative lifestyle? That is what has already happened in California." If you can provide a link to a story about how this has happened in CA I would appreciate it. It is my understanding that the Education Code of CA does not contain any provision requiring that students be taught about same-sex marriage. Parents can have their students opt out of any sex-ed material that they don't approve of.

Nicki, - I am sorry that I may have offended you. I took issue with your opinion that we have a choice in who we are, because I know i did not. DJC47 - Thank you for your response. I have been to LDS.org and I have discussed this issue at great length with my family who are LDS. My mother has taken great issue with this and i have to say supports your side. You know - my partner and I have NOT really wanted to be defined by a marriage certificate. All I really want to know is that I am protected by the law as you and your family is should anything happen to MY family. I want tolerance and justice. My partner and I are the only couple my sisters children have ever know. They are going to grow up understanding that my type of family is natural because my sister are teaching them that. I don't think it appropriate for that views or forced on children in school. What I do think appropriate is that children are taught tolerance and understanding of other kids in their school who have and are growing up in a gay family. I know several that are. And I hear the ridicule and intolerance those children have to put up with. I don't think any of us want that for our children. I want schools to teach that gay marriage, is OK because your children in today's society ARE growing up with other children who come from alternative marriages. They should not be made to feel less inferior because their family is any less than what is defined as traditional.

Quinn: I am very impressed by your thoughtful and very personal response. I too have friends and family who are gay but I am opposed to gay marriage. To better understand why I and the LDS Church and many others oppose gay marriage log onto lds.org and click on news. You will find many articles and videos that explain our reasons and concerns with legally changing the definition of marriage. This is not about hate, intolerance, or bigotry, but rather about the legal definition of marriage and what the implications and effects of that definition have on society. Would you for example want to force religious adoption organizations to allow adoption of their parishoners children to gay couples? That is what has happened in Masachussettes to the Catholic church. Would you want to require the public schools to teach gay marriage as an alternative lifestyle? That is what has already happened in California. You may be in favor of that but I am not and would not want that interference with what I choose for my children. In any case please look at the church website I suggested if you want to really understand our position. Perhaps you already have. Thanks for your comments. It has helped me understand you better.

Quinn...thank you for showing me how intolerant you are of my opinions! It is my opinion. The fact that you say I am uneducated about this issue is an assumption. Telling me how stupid I am ONLY proves "your" INTOLERANCE. Why call names? Because it is the only line of defense you have. Well so be it....and yes this is childish but stick and stones my brake my bones, but NAMES will never hurt!! That is the truth!!!

Thank you protesters! As a Mormon, I take it as a COMPLIMENT that we are being so singled out for our support of marriage and family! Your temper tantrums outside our temples go a long way towards reminding the public just how much Mormons are opposed to the flagrant immorality you support. We couldn't buy that kind of advertising if we tried. So, thanks again! Thank you for reminding everyone that Mormons support marriage and family. I couldn't think of a better way to get that message across than to have two thousand queers throwing a temper tantrum outside our temples.

In a recent interview regarding same-sex attraction, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said that the church has no official position on what causes homosexuality. Members of the church who believe that it is "a choice" to have homosexual feelings must not be listening to what the highest church leaders say. The actual quote from the interview is: "The Church does not have a position on the causes of any of these susceptibilities or inclinations, including those related to same-gender attraction. Those are scientific questions — whether nature or nurture — those are things the Church doesn’t have a position on." Here is the link if you'd like to read it for yourself. http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/public-issues/same-gender-attraction

Nicki - i am a 40 year old gay man in the state of Utah. I have been out since I was 25. I grew up as the oldest son in a strict LDS family and my mother is one of the secretaries to one of the 12 apostles. I went on a mission to Japan and followed the teachings of the LDS church. That was a choice. I went to college at Weber State University and attended the local institute. That was a choice. However, I struggled with my identity for years, nearly suicidal about my feelings. That was NOT a choice. I even attended the LDS church sanctioned program, Evergreen to change because that was what I was told by my singles ward bishop. That was a choice. My mother, in support of me, participated in the Friends of Evergreen group. That was a choice. For a 33 year old woman living in the state of Utah, you are very ignorant and uneducated about this matter. You must know someone around you that is gay. I cannot change who I physically, emotionally, and mentally am as a homosexual man. God knows i have tried everything humanly possible. This has not been a choice. What is my choice, is that I accept who I am. I love who I am. I believe in who I am. I am a happy, proud, gay man who has been living with my partner of 11 years in a loving, honest, healthy relationship. We have the love and support of both of our families including my very LDS family. That is a choice. What I want to choose, is to marry my partner. I want to choose to have the access to the same rights, privileges you, i assume, enjoy with your husband. That is a choice I want to be able to make, but cannot because of people like you who really are not informed on what prop 8 stands for. Thank you for showing your stupidity so that more people like me can tell their stories in hopes that someday people like you, who are not educated about homosexual issues can become educated.

I have one question to all those who marched in protest near Temple Square. Are you going to go and protest on the grounds of the famous Catholic Cathedral here as well? Since the Catholic Roman Bishop sent a statement that supports the Proposition. OR are you going to have those who support you in Sacramento handle that for you? Or are all of you just baised against the LDS Church?

who treat each person as they are second class citizens. The native americans, the african americans, the jews, ect. The church's or the government of america are not bigots its the people who are bigots. When it comes down to it "We The People" are BIGOTS. We look down at people for their skin color their income status, how they live and were they live. Yes even in the mormon church, I am looked down by my own inlaws because i were makeup and I wear ear rings. Cry my a river. personally I could care what or how they feel. I am who i am. Everyone on the earth is a Child Of God even if we believe in him or not. My brother has been gay all his life. He didn't choose to be gay it is how he was born. Heavenly Father does not point his finger and say, you are going to be gay, you wont be able to have children, ect. Something happens in our body when our DNA is read and changes things.

Prop 8 was not to ban gay marriage it was to remove the phrase "as man and woman" and replace it with party A and party B, which takes everyone else right away too. Personally it should be the couples choice on how it should be stated when the time comes, such as man and wife, life partners, domestic partners, lovers ect. Everyone feels like a second class citizen, ask anyone. The Deaf, the blind do not receive the education they deserve because there are not enough interpreters or schools to do so. Low income families, people with different religions and different color skin all feel the same way. I am LDS and my brother is gay. My husband of 21 years and my four children odor him and would walk though fire for him and his partner. They are great loving, caring men. When the time comes and if they choose to be married we would surport them, but on the other hand we have expressed to them to please do not show their affection toward each other in front of us. there is a time a place for that, as my husband and i do not show affection in public either. From what I understand same sex marriage is still legal in California. Joseph Smith DID NOT write the book of mormon, he translated it, HUGE differance. The book of mormon was a journal of that time. We are to read and learn from it. As for the leaders of the church, when we are counseled we are to look at it as it does come from the Lord, but we are also counseled to go to the Lord and ask for ourself if it true and then decide what we want to do with it. Everyone on this planet has free agency. The LDS church was not the only church that was fighting for the prop nor was california the only state voting for this right. California is the only state that is having a problem with the outcome and the LDS are the only one that is being protested against because of the outcome. Why is this. Everyone is complaining for equal rights when we all have equal right, its the people of the great nat