Same Sex "Marriages" are Ontologically Degrading to People

My (hope to be published) letter to the editor at the San Francisco Chronicle:

The Chronicle’s glowing appraisal of Mayor Newsom’s de facto government sanctification of same sex “marriages” is typical of the thoughtless and utilitarian viewpoint that the Left has of personhood. In the ontological sense, a person is not defined by who he or she prefers or chooses to have sexual intercourse with, yet this is precisely what defenders of same-sex “marriages” presume whenever they argue, as the Chronicle does, that “gays” must be accorded the same legal benefits and protections as “straight people.” If what we are is defined by what we prefer, then the government may as well expressly extend civil rights protections on the basis of what baseball team you root for or your favorite ice cream.

Despite what the Left may think, and which has in no small part been promulgated by no-fault divorce laws, marriage is not a mere contract where the parties simply agree to live together, share their property, and not have sexual intercourse with other people. Degrade marriage to this definition by recognizing same-sex unions, and you effectively degrade people by viewing them as nothing more than a bundle of desires.