In the past two months, in attempts to offer an argument against same-sex marriage, two children have testified before their state legislators, countering other children who have been testifying for it. The two children testifying against it have either been crudely insulted or received death threats.
In February, speaking to the Minnesota House Committee on Civil Law, 11-year-old Grace Evans offered this statement:
My name is Grace Evans, and I would like to thank you for letting me speak today. Even though I’m only 11 years old, I know that everyone deserves to have a mom and a dad. If you change the laws that two moms or two dads can get married, it would take away something very important for children like me across the state. My mom is very important to me, because she teaches me things about being a girl. She is kind, thoughtful, gentle and beautiful. She cares for me and others and listens vey well to the things I want to talk to her about. I am learning from her to be a good woman, wife and mother someday. Even though I learned some of these things from my dad, my mom teaches them in a very special way. Without my mom, it would be very hard for me to learn them. She is my role model in how to be a girl and I love her very much. My dad is also very important to me because he protects me and helps me get the confidence to be a girl who is growing up to be a woman. He takes care of problems in a way that my mom cannot. Just like the way my mom could not be the woman she is without my dad, I wouldn’t be the woman I want to be without my dad. Because he is strong, wise and different from my mom, I learn things from him that I would not be able to learn in the same way from my mom. Since every child needs a mom and dad to be born, I don’t think we can change that children need a mom and a dad. I believe God made it that way. I know some disagree, but I want to ask you this question: which parent do I not need, my mom or my dad? I’ll ask again, which parent do I not need, my mom or my dad? I hope that you can see that every child needs a mom and a dad. Please don’t change your law to say otherwise. Thank you for letting me speak today.
Her father, Jeff Evans, revealed the treatment Grace had received from political opponents:
We haven’t had any physical threats, but we’ve had some rather colorful comments about my 11-year-old. I’ve been monitoring it to keep my family safe and have a heads up on it. It’s really shameful the things that people will say, hiding behind an Internet alias. We see it as more representative of where political discourse is in our country, where you can’t take a position without receiving a great deal of flak, which is unfortunate.
YouTube comments included one calling Grace “an 11-year-old bigot.” Another said, “when did 11 year old children become so repugnantly smug? this is gross and offensive, and not just to gay people. single mothers, widowers, divorced parents… i mean,? just shut the fuck up until you until you’ve seen a little more of the world, puppet child.” On the Facebook page for A Minnesota news website, the heading read “Stupid Indoctrinated Child.”
Evans said, “Supporters of gay marriage are deceitfully claiming that the legalization of gay marriage won’t affect our religious freedoms or freedom of speech. I do not believe them. These attacks on Grace are an example of how we have already lost many of these freedoms. In fact, it’s so bad, they aren’t afraid to viciously attack an 11-year-old girl. Imagine what it will be like if gay marriage becomes legal in Minnesota.”
In January, Sarah Crank, 14, received death threats after testifying before the Maryland state senate. She testified:
Hi, I’m Sarah Crank. Today’s my 14th birthday, and it would be the best birthday present ever if you would vote “no” on gay marriage. I really feel bad for the kids who have two parents of the same gender. Even though some kids think it’s fine, they have no idea what kind of wonderful experiences they miss out on. I don’t want more kids to get confused about what’s right and okay. I really don’t want to grow up in a world where marriage isn’t such a special thing anymore.
It’s rather scary to think that when I grow up the legislature or the court can change the definition of any word they want. If they could change the definition of marriage then they could change the definition of any word. People have the choice to be gay, but I don’t want to be affected by their choice. People say that they were born that way, but I’ve met really nice adults who did change. So please vote “no” on gay marriage. Thank you.
TFP Student Action, a Roman Catholic organization, recorded some of the threats on the YouTube video of Sarah’s speech went viral on homosexual websites. Some of them read:
If I ever see this girl, I will kill her. That’s a promise.
Her parents should be exterminated.
Kill this child and his [sic] parent, for my 11 birthday would be a wonderful gift, thanks.”
I hope you? get raped by your married parents.–madisonen;
Stupid bi**h – I? hope you die on your Bday!!!!!–geminiboi007;
A dumb way for a dumb bi**h to? do dumb things. Stop talking nonsense that your Christian, Anti-Gay parents are force-feeding you through a thin straw, and learn to accept other people. Now shut up bi**h, before I smack you.–123adbnvcs
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