During one of our weekly editorial board meetings, we were discussing what we would like to put into our “New Governor Wish List.” All of the editors present, excluding me, said to ask our new Gov. Jerry Brown to support gay marriage.

I used my veto and said I would not risk my conservative beliefs and did not agree to place the wish on our list.

After much unappreciated backlash on my opinion, it was decided we would exclude it from our collaborative list.

As anyone knows, in Nov. 2008 California voters struck down the legalization of gay marriage. Gay rights activists protested everywhere blaming conservatives for the bans and accused them of being homophobes.

While there is a vast array of conservatives, not all are as passionate about the “conservative view” as others are. Nevertheless, time and time again just saying, “I am a Republican,” is enough to earn the wrath of liberals.

For the most part, liberals are not up for hearing my side to the story.

Lucky for me, my liberal friends are willing to hear my side, but only if they are allowed to completely counter every statement.

I am not speaking for all conservatives, but when liberals tell me their side, I clearly state I value the opposite opinion. I do not think I am required to tell you my life story as to why I believe gay marriage should not be legal.

If I bring up it has to do with my religious beliefs, they call me crazy and a homophobe.

A lot of gay advocates say that conservatives use our religion as a way to oppose gay marriage and we do not harbor the same hate for divorced people or other sinners.

First of all, divorce is a sin. Felony is a sin. Anything that goes against what is against the Ten Commandments is a sin.

Frankly, “I do not believe in gay marriage” is not at all the same as “I hate homosexuals.” In my opinion, I am one of the least homophobic people you will ever meet. In fact my best friend, whose column is running against mine (that’s Branden del Rio!) is gay.

I have many LGBT friends and do not care what their sexual orientation is. Being branded a “hateful conservative” because of a stereotypical majority is unfair to me and to other conservatives who accept and love their friends.

I do not believe in gay marriage because I have always viewed it as a sacred symbol of heterosexual love and commitment. If gay marriage was legalized, it would change that meaning in my eyes.

Others argue that the Constitution says there should be a clear separation of church and state, therefore religion should not rule whether gays can marry. If people would stop listening to the historians and actually read the document, it never uses those words; rather those words are an interpretation.

In fact, it states in the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting free exercise thereof…”

Therefore, it simply states the government may not restrict any religion or implement a universal religion for its people.

But religion is not ruling whether gays are allowed to marry. Rather, it is the voters practicing their freedom of religion to sway their individual vote.

Changing the law after the voters have spoken would not only diminish marriage to a bureaucratic rubber stamp, it would also completely diminish the holiness of it in my perspective.

What the LGBT activists overlooked was that California also has liberal voters.

The proposition was non-partisan and every registered voter was allowed to cast their decision. Calling the law unconstitutional is an oxymoron because it has been placed into the California constitution. Californians have spoken. Let it go and move on.

Kristen Campbell, a sophomore journalism major, is editor in chief of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at kristen.campbell@laverne.edu.