Dear Sir,

I have been following the debate on the issue of same-sex marriage from afar. Bermuda was my home back in 1988 when I co-founded the End-to-End charity walk and I worked and watched it grow until 2001 when I left the island. During those 17 years, as a gay man, I could not show who I was. I was told by friends that this truth, apart from jeopardising my job, might damage the public image of the charity I loved. I regret that I never had the courage to find out.

Times have changed and we now live in a better world, but there is still some way to go. Legally sanctioned discrimination does not belong in a modern, forward-thinking society such as Bermuda, although it still survives in the totalitarian and theocratic states in the world.

Once I left the Island, I was able to marry my husband in the UK, a mostly secular country that recognises equal marriage, and we now live in Spain, a majority Catholic country that also fully recognises our marriage.

When these countries passed the legislation, did the sky fall in? No. Did the institution of marriage crumble? Far from it.

Every other family carried on and society remained secure. All that changed was my life. I was able stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the man I love and share that relationship with friends and family.

I see that the most fervent opposition comes from church members.

A few years after I founded the End-To-End, we decided to move the event to Sunday to allow those who worked on Saturday to participate. We were criticised by some of the Bermuda churches, who felt we would be preventing their members from attending church that day.

I asked a religious friend what to do. She reminded me that when Jesus looked down from heaven, he would see church members walking and doing the right thing, helping others to improve their lives.

When the vote happens, I hope people remember that helping others to fulfil their lives is the right thing to do.

PAUL ROWLERSON

Co-founder

The End-To-End

Charity Walk