That is more important re these leaches on the body politic.

And to those girls, i say give thanks to God that you are out of there, and join a church like the MCC, or the more liberal United churches of Christ, or the Universalist – Unitarians, who will respect and honor you for who you are.

And realize the opportunity this lesson gives you – to go out as you get older and work for equality for gay people, in the social, religious, and politcal parts of our society.

Unfortunately, when a case like this one comes up I find myself unable to know exactly what is “right”, which freedoms should be respected.

On the one hand we have two girls who have entered into a consensual lesbian relationship and who should be protected from persecution and abuse. On the other hand we have a private religious institution that should be free who it will and will not provide its services to.

If this was a State school, or a school that received some funding from the State, the answer would be easy. The school should not be allowed to expel a student based on sexuality if they are paid for by public money.

However, this is a wholly private institution, which makes it more difficult. Whatever decision is reached, someone’s rights are going to be infringed, someone’s freedom curtailed.

I don’t like the court’s decision in this case, but if I’m honest with myself and put my personal bias aside I have to admit I wouldn’t like its decision if it had gone the other way either. My personal support always lies with the gay community, and I do have a bias against Christian-based religions due to personal experiences, but if we as a community want to be free to live our lives our way, we have to respect the rights of religious groups to live their lives their way.

That doesn’t mean allowing them to trample on our rights or abuse us, but it does mean recognising their right to their religious beliefs and practices. And in this case it means accepting their right to deny education to anyone for any reason incompatible with the philosophy of their institution. And that includes allowing them to expel or refuse admission to students on grounds of sexuality.

Personally, I think these girls are better off away from this school and its poisonous attitudes, and I hope that the ignorant attitudes of those in charge are not lost on others in the student body.

This is a sad situation, but I think the court made the right decision.

I absolutely agree that the school’s decision is stupid, evil, hateful and indefensible. But it is their right to make that decision. I’m glad the courts agree.

If they do not have the right to believe what they want and to enforce those beliefs in their own, private institutions, then none of us have the right to believe what we feel is right. Nor do we have the right to live by those beliefs.

Our fight to gain the rights we deserve cannot . . . MUST not include removing the rights of other private religious organizations or removing the rights of other private citizens to believe as they wish.

Changing those beliefs must take a softer tact and will take a much longer time. One only needs look at the racial rights that were fought so long ago . . . there are still a few churches (sects) and people and even colleges that forbid interracial dating or marriage. There are still a few the do not welcome black members. Actually there are a few black churches that do not welcome white folk.

It is our job to change their minds. It is not our job to strip them of their rights. Because, in the end, we would be stripping ourselves of our own rights.

There should at least be legal recourse in the form of a civil suit for pain and suffering and defamation of character.

They should also be charged with child abuse. For adults to willingly put children through their witch hunts is just absurd.