True, Lasting Loves Are Not Limited to Heterosexuals

On the cover of your Life & Style section (“Lasting Loves,” Feb. 14), you featured, in honor of Valentine’s Day, five pictures and a short story for each of some lovely couples who have enjoyed many years of committed, loving relationships. I was touched by their stories and related to them as a person in a long-term, committed relationship, whose marriage continues not to be legally recognized by the state of California, nor any of our 50 states.

While I was warmed by the love expressed by these couples, I was chilled by the fact that you have once again presented only the heterosexual face of love and commitment. In doing this piece without the inclusion of pictures and stories from lesbian and gay couples, you have shown only a skewed piece of the world in which we all live. This kind of bias does a disservice to all your readers--not just gay/lesbian readers, who can always use some validation for our love commitments, since there is a paucity of such in our society.

There are plenty of examples of gay and lesbian “marriages” that have lasted over a long haul.

Love and marriage is a common human adult outcome of the dream we all have as children, no matter the gender of the person we are hoping cupid hits with his arrow.

MADELYNN RIGOPOULOS

Huntington Beach