To the editor:

On June 12, The Laurinburg Exchange had a front page article entitled, “Marriage opt-out becomes state law.” For those who aren’t familiar with this law it is the state law that exempts deputy registers of deeds, assistant registers of deeds and county magistrates from issuing a marriage license which conflicts with any sincerely held religious objection.

In the article, a couple of state representatives gave their opinions of the law. One representative said the law was bad for business and could make it harder to recruit businesses to North Carolina. That really sounds to me like a lame excuse for recruiting businesses and would hardly seem a deciding factor for a business. Another representative said “if it’s right or if it’s wrong, people still have the right to choose the way they live their life.” I agree that people have the right to choose the way they live their life; so, these deputy and assistant registers of deeds and county magistrates should have the right to choose to marry or not to marry gay couples based on religious beliefs. I’m sure gay couples who want to get married can find somewhere a magistrate or so-called pastor who will marry them.

Mike Johnson

Laurel Hill