Julie Price, a 25-year-old lesbian hailing from Scotland and an aspiring writer currently working on a novel, recently made me cry—good tears. Price wrote a lengthy, intelligent, and emotional letter to newlyweds Rhys and Esther Curnow, both 23, who have become figureheads for The Coalition for Marriage’s fight against legalizing same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom, and posted it online at The L Project.
Let’s back up for a moment: On June 12, 2012, The Coalition for Marriage had the Curnows hand-deliver a petition of 575,000 signatures asking that the UK government reconsider its plan to legalize same-sex marriage to 10 Downing Street, reports Pink News. The Curnows appeared in formal wedding attire for the event, in what seemed to be a mocking gesture to the LGBT community who cannot yet enjoy a legally recognized wedding in the UK.
Newlyweds Rhys and Esther Curnow
But while the UK Press Association reported that “Internet trolls” targeted the newly wed couple en masse, issuing death threats and wishes of infertility, Price instead chose to write the couple a heartfelt letter, wishing them well on their nuptials then going on to explain why their display of closed-mindedness hurt her.
Writer Julie Price
The Wishaw Press reported that the letter went viral, with Stephen Fry tweeting it to his followers on Twitter, which number more than 4 million, calling it “simply marvelous.” Comedian Alan Carr and writer (and husband to Amanda Palmer!) Neil Gaiman also retweeted and praised the letter, which reads:
“Please accept my warmest congratulations on your recent marriage. I can only imagine the joy you both are feeling right now, knowing that you have made such a significant and universally recognised commitment to the person you have chosen to spend the rest of your life with. If things remain as they currently are in the United Kingdom, I will only ever be able to imagine that feeling. You see, I am a lesbian and am therefore not legally permitted to marry the person I choose to spend my life with. I presume you must be very busy at the moment, enjoying the honeymoon period of your married life, but I hope you are willing to take few minutes to try and understand why I find it very upsetting, confusing and frustrating that you both were allowed to marry the person you chose, but I cannot.”
It’s easy to get caught up in hateful thoughts and feelings when we experience them targeted at us on a daily basis, but in some cases it’s better to respond with reason and compassion rather than match hate with hate. In this case, I believe that Price’s letter is doing more good than the death wishes sent to the Curnows. Read her full text here and see if you agree—but you’ve been warned, she might bring you to tears.
Photo: c4m.org.uk; wishawpress.co.uk
