I am so glad I left Utah. No church or government has a right to say who someone should love. Gay marriage will not hurt the institution of marriage. On the contrary, it will give all people the rights that those of us who are not gay have.

This is a matter of equality. It truly is about equal rights, not just marriage. As someone once told me, "You spent $50 to get a marriage license, we spent $1,500 to have an attorney draw up powers of attorney to protect our relationship."

Shame on the LDS Church for giving misleading information to its members and the public at large through this and other newspapers.

Christina V. Larsen

Laguna Beach, Calif.