Milford A. Decker of Utica, the president of Pride Among the Mokawk, argues that marriage equality isn’t just fair and right, it is also good politics, in a letter to the Syracuse Post-Standard.

We pay taxes, are good neighbors, co-workers, parents, church members and voters. We want the same things other citizens strive for: to be productive; seek loving, committed relationships; and to be full members of a society that values all of its diverse members.

States that have experimented with civil unions have found them lacking, creating a “caste system” of sub-citizens who are not equal. These distinctions caused a nightmare of bureaucratic paperwork, unnecessary if all had equal access to civil marriage.

If you believe in limited government and personal freedoms–true, conservative values–then it makes sense to back marriage rights for all couples!