Letter to the editor: People who support civil rights for all should act

I was disappointed and discouraged when the North Dakota House of Representatives failed to pass the bill providing human rights protection to gay, lesbian and transgendered people. What should have been an obvious “yes” vote based on basic civil rights was defeated by a group of legislators who held their personal religious beliefs above the fundamental principle of separation of church and state.

Voting to support the civil rights of others doesn’t mean you accept or like those people. It simply means you accord all human beings the protections and rights you enjoy yourself.

Instead of remaining disillusioned with my state, I let this failure of government motivate me to do more than write a letter. I went to www.ndhrc.org on the Internet, joined the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition and volunteered to become active in the struggle for human rights for all.

I am sure the issue of gay, lesbian and transgendered rights will come before the Legislature again. I urge all fair-minded readers to join the NDHRC and work to ensure the right outcome next time. Contact the NDHRC at 701-239-9323 or P.O. Box 1961, Fargo, ND 58107-1961

Jackie Hyra

Jamestown

Tags: civil rights, opinion, letter, gay, lesbian, legislature