Gay marriage amendment example of majority faction

In “Culture War Casualties” (Nov. 17) the Crimson Staff states that they “do, of course, respect the democratic process; marriage is a state matter, and citizens have the right to vote their conscience and determine how their state defines civil marriage.” On the other hand, at the end of the article they state that, “In any event, we cannot endorse the formal denial of civil rights and benefits afforded to others-call it marriage, civil union or any other name.”

The Staff looks for all sorts of manipulation of the democratic process to explain this outcome while avoiding criticizing the democratic process itself. It seems to me that there needs to be less uncritical respect for the democratic process and more understanding of its dangers and shortcomings. Since I have not seen any convincing non-religious evidence that gay marriage will destroy our society, perhaps we should consider that these bans on gay marriage are an example of “a number of citizens...who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens...” In other words, that this is an example of one of the great dangers that James Madison in The Federalist Papers No. 10 saw as inherent in the democratic process: majority faction.

JOSEPH MAZOR

Cambridge, Mass.

Nov. 17, 2004