I strongly oppose flying the pride flag on state of Wisconsin property. The citizens of this state are not obligated to approve of the gender identity, sexual orientation or lifestyle choices made by people who declare themselves to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

Many citizens of this state believe the LGBTQ lifestyles are wrong on religious grounds, and many others — myself included — believe it is reckless in the extreme to abandon norms for marriage, gender roles and sexual restraint that have been in effect for so long. The surge in out of wedlock births and absent father households since the “sexual revolution” are all the proof of harm anyone should need.

Lastly, I note that voters as a whole have not granted government the right to aggressively promulgate the approval and legal standing of LGBTQ lifestyles. To redefine pivotal, longstanding traditions for marriage, families and the complementary roles of men and women without so much as a referendum is profoundly undemocratic.

Hans Noeldner, Oregon

Follow along as Phil Hands shows you how he draws his recent Mendota Marsh comic strip.