My partner Ronny and I have been together for 10 years. We own a home and are raising two beutiful girls. We are contributing members to society and definitely pay our fair share of taxes (boy howdy!).

It is shameful that a free society in the 21st century is still having this 'debate' on our right to marry. No government or religion should have the power to dehumanize and marginalize their fellow human beings.

I personally place much of the blame on the Republican party and even more pointedly on George Bush for the current hostile climate toward gay and lesbian Americans. Bush actually made it part of his campaign to attack the interests of gay people - playing Americans against one another for political gain.

The Republican party has chosen to throw in its lot with the religious far-right. People like the late Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and James Dobson - to name a few.

These people have made it their mission to marginalize and diminish the lives of gay and lesbian Americans. Through their constant campaign to focus the power of religion on bigotry and intolerance rather than love and acceptance, they have caused great harm to their fellow humans.

These deplorable actions have directly lead to some people taking violent actions - including murder - against gay people. Other fallout, less fatal but no less abhorrent has been the dehumanizing of gay people. This leads to discrimination, people fired unfairly and denied basic human rights (such as visiting their loved ones in the hospital).

This is the same kind of dehumanizing that has been perpetrated on various peoples for thousands of years. Jews, Africans and women have all suffered this kind of prejudice in the past. It appears that gay prejudice is the last refuge for these bigots. Who will they scapegoat when this last group finally escapes their clutches?

By embracing men such as these religious leaders without holding them accountable for their negative actions, the Republican party is also stained with the mud and blood that results from those actions. Murders such as that of Matthew Shepherd can be laid at the feet of these men. Just as surely as Hitler inspired the flames of anti semitism in pre-war Germany, these men inspire their followers to despise, demean and harm gay people.

Religious prejudice has no place in government. Our government should seek to lift up all people. Our president should be the president of all, not just those that he or she turns to for votes.

Some will say, "Oh, but gay people just want special rights." To them I would respond that living without prejudice and fear of attack, without fear of loosing ones job for no sound reason, and without fear of loosing ones rights to taking care of their loved ones - these are not special rights. These are basic human rights that we should deny to no one.

Those who attempt to enforce religious prejudices and doctrine on our secular society are violating the constitution, but more importantly they are violating our charter as good citizens of the earth. Our founders, contrary to public perception, were largely agnostic in their personal beliefs. They greatly feared and mistrusted the power of organized religion and religious leaders to harm the Republic.

Republicans like Senator McCain and Governor Palin should decide whether they wish to serve all of humanity or merely the narrow beliefs of the few mean and capricious elements of their base.

Let them keep their own private prejudices and feelings of superiority if they must but they should not strive to cause harm to others in the name of any faith.