Feelings about Gay Marriage and Charity

I really enjoyed reading material on defending the sanctity of marriage.  I know that we as members of the church, and as disciples of Christ, need to defend the role of marriage.  One of my best friends is gay and is also a member of the church.  He still believes in and wants to stay in the church, and he is such an amazing example to me.  He has such a strong testimony not only in words, but in who he is.  Anyone can see that he is striving to be better, and that he stands up for what he believes.  I strongly believe that we need to stand behind our Savior and our church when defending marriage between a man and a woman, but we should NOT discriminate or persecute those who are gay or lesbian.  

I can see how our society has slowly but surely become more and more okay with the legalization of gay marriage (obviously) in our country.  As I was reading a church article about the family proclamation, I had the thought come to me that earlier in history, this topic would not even be thought about, and if it was, it would be extremely secret.  Now it is out in the open for all to think about, see, and act upon.  I don't think that we should sit back and let everything happen without saying anything, but again, I never want anyone to feel attacked or hated because of their preferences.  My best friend who is gay has taught me more about love and acceptance, no matter who you are or what choices you've made, than almost anyone else.  I want to be more like that, and defend what I know is right.  

There definitely will be uncomfortable situations as this issue continues in the years to come, but it amazes me the way some people can accept and love others even when they are different or believe differently than they do.  There was a married gay couple in one of my areas on my mission, and when I met them I found out that one of them was an inactive member of the church and the other was not a member of the church. The missionaries had been teaching him and he believed that the gospel was true, and his partner who was a member wanted to be active again as well. They didn't know how to proceed because they still loved each other.  I think a huge factor that played into their warm feelings towards the gospel and the members of the church was due to the people in their ward.  When this couple went to church, they weren't treated disrespectfully and they weren't ignored.  Everyone loved them and accepted them, and while they knew that they individually could not move further in the gospel until they made some changes in their lives, they were still welcomed at church and at every single activity.  It strengthened my testimony to see such love and charity for Heavenly Father's children coming from these ward members, and it helped me to know that it is possible to love as the Savior does even in hard situations.