This letter is long overdue. I was born and raised here and am very proud to say that. I love this community and what it stands for. I love walking down the street and knowing 80 percent of the people I see. I love looking around, seeing such amazing scenery and faces of its happy peaceful residents. I believe in this community and the goodness of its people. I believe in our teachers that teach our children, mine being one of them.

I choose to see the good in all of my community but am saddened by the truth that there is a hidden discrimination that causes me to fear. I was one of the very few that chose to rally against Proposition 8. I knew that I was of the minority for sure in our county to have this opinion. I knew that the battle would be loud and very personal. Yet still I had hope. I know that I may not be welcome everywhere I go in this community, but still I chose to love and live here.

I have an amazing family and an amazing group of friends that know and love my family and me for all that we are and all that we are made of. My hope is to be a part of the majority, a majority that stands behind our constitution that says, “All men are created equal.” A majority that puts its own personal beliefs to the side and chooses to make its decision based on equality and freedom. A majority that realizes that every man and woman has the same rights no matter what race, sex or sexual orientation. We all have a purpose, and we all have the right to decide our path and our direction.

Our children deserve to have a world of equality and true freedom, and it us up to us, all of us, to make sure this right is a part of their future. We must lead by example - lead by peace and kindness to all. We must always be able to look our neighbors in the eye and know that we will be seen as a human being first with equal rights. We must all stand together and say that we believe each man should have the same rights as every other.

I love and appreciate this community for what it is and mostly for what it can be. Be part of a growing change of acceptance of others. Know that our rights and freedoms were fought for all of us to enjoy as a whole and not a part. Our country was built and fought for each of us not part of us. Give us all the same rights and let your belief of a higher power judge. We owe it to ourselves, and we owe it to our children.

When you see someone that is living a life different from you, appreciate him or her for choosing to take a road less traveled and a road much harder to walk. Know that it is not an easy road to walk, but a walk that this person is willing to take even knowing that others may hate him or her for choosing it.

Thank you Mariposa residents for a town of beauty and a community of peace, and hopefully more acceptance.

Troy Richards