Members of Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons hailed Alaska Judge Peter Michalski's February 27, 1998 ruling that gay men and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry. Judge Michalski said that unless Alaska can prove it has a compelling reason to violate that right, its ban on same-sex marriages must be struck down. Repeating the doctrine that marriage is a fundamental right, he also rejected the idea that marriage can be restricted only to traditional partners.

"As gay and lesbian Mormons, we come from a church that has its own history of being discriminated against because of its unique ideas on marriage. Many of our ancestors suffered great persecution because they chose non-traditional marriages. While Mormons no longer practice polygamy, we welcome recognition of a fact that our church knew long ago: marriage is broader than the so-called traditional union of one man and one woman. Judge Michalski's decision is firmly rooted in this precedent," stated Scott MacKay, Affirmation Executive Director.

"To us, it's a simple question of fairness. If the state is going to deny us a fundamental right that straight people take for granted, it should be forced to prove the reason why. This is exactly the type of issue we'll be discussing at our next Affirmation conference to be held Labor Day weekend in Portland, Oregon. We welcome anyone who is interested in these issues to join us at our conference," said Henry Miller, conference chair.

Affirmation believes that same-sex relationships deserve the same protection and recognition as heterosexual marriages. We reject the idea that recognizing our fundamental right to marry the person we love forces others to accept the morality of homosexuality. Catholics don't believe in divorce, or for that matter, the power of the state to perform valid marriages, but we don't hear Catholics complaining that they are being forced to accept the morality of divorce or civil marriage. Mormons believe that civil marriage is 'second-rate' because it lasts only for this life, and not for eternity, but Mormons are not on a crusade to ban civil marriage. Affirmation respects the right of others to believe as they please. We are not interested in forcing others to accept the morality of anything. However, we do insist on being treated the same as everyone else. There is nothing special about wanting the same rights everyone else has.

Affirmation's Public Relations Director, Rick Fernández, found Catholic Archbishop Francis Hurley's response to the court ruling particularly hypocritical and ironic. Hurley stated that "Only through a heterosexual marriage does society continue." "This from a man who represents a church that has taught for centuries that celibacy is a holier state of life than marriage. We are tired of being falsely painted as the greatest threat to civilization. Under his view, the celibate Archbishop Hurley himself is a threat to the continuation of society, along with his priests and nuns. No, the real threat to society comes not from our supposed failure to procreate-though most of us in Affirmation do have our own children-but from the kind of slander and intolerance that such views represent."

Affirmation is confident that if Judge Michalski's decision is appealed to the Alaska Supreme Court, the Court will affirm his finding that no one's right to marry should be taken from them simply because their choice is non-traditional. The particular views of any religion should not be used to determine the fundamental rights of citizens.