The opinion colum about Referendum 74 regarding gay marriage in The Bellingham Herald's Sept. 30 issue makes the same argument over and over in slightly varying forms: Guaranteeing equal rights to a group of citizens who have previously been the objects of discrimination makes it impossible for those of us who still wish to discriminate against them to do so legally. Reducing this argument in this way to its essential message I believe demonstrates that it is not only circular but also utterly unconvincing. In whatever form it is expressed, it sadly reminds me of the argument I heard growing up in the deep South, an argument that took many forms but essentially warned: Guaranteeing the basic civil rights of African-Americans will curtail my right to discriminate against them and thus diminish my feeling of white superiority. I am confident that the citizens of Washington State will reject both of these arguments for what they are: bigotry.

Garland Richmond

Bellingham