Camrose, Alta. — Sitting in his pickup truck on Camrose's sleepy main street, farmer David Strilchuk struggles to come to terms with same-sex marriage.
He would like to be open-minded, but says he simply cannot accept the idea of two men or two women at the altar saying "I do."
"It's hard to justify being self-centred. A guy should be open to change, but on that I don't believe a guy should change," said the 46-year-old. "I don't care what they do in their private life, that's their [business]. But marriage, the way it traditionally has been, that's the way it should be left."
The problem, according to the proud father of three who has been married for 22 years, is that gay marriage upends time-honoured morals that are the foundation of society.
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"It's just not natural and against my family values," he said.
Mr. Strilchuk is one of countless Albertans grappling with the thorny and highly personal matter of same-sex unions. While Premier Ralph Klein loudly opposes allowing homosexuals to wed, the issue is far more nuanced for many ordinary Albertans, both in small towns and big cities.
For his part, Mr. Strilchuk, who grows wheat and barley, believes Mr. Klein is rightly standing up to the federal Liberals, who intend to legalize gay marriage nationally. Still, he acknowledges the Premier does not speak for all Albertans.
"He's probably not popular with a lot of people, but he's popular with people like myself that have that opinion," he said.
A new Ipsos-Reid poll conducted for The Globe and Mail and CTV suggests national support for same-sex marriage has dropped, with Canadians evenly split at 49 per cent for and and 49 per cent against allowing homosexuals to wed and register their union with their provincial government.
On the Prairies, the poll found 58 per cent against in Alberta and 61 per cent against in Saskatchewan/Manitoba.
As she pulled two-year-old Cody and one-year-old Morgan in a wagon in downtown Camrose, Terri Yarham said it does not make sense for governments to distinguish between straight and gay marriage.
"If the government can say, no, homosexuals can't get married, then how come they can't all of a sudden decide, well, no more marriages at all?"
Besides, said the 24-year-old bakery supervisor, people do not choose their sexual orientation, so why punish gays and lesbians?
Standing amid scaffolding outside Ken's Furniture shop on 50th Street, construction worker Dean Kanten said same-sex marriage should be nobody's business.
"As far as I'm concerned, if they're happy, let 'em get married," he said.
But despite his support, Mr. Kanten, 46, acknowledged feeling uncomfortable in the presence of gays or lesbians.
"Myself, I'm kind of uneasy if I see homosexuals, you know, but that's their business."
His colleague Wayne Finley, 40, was unequivocal in backing same-sex marriage. "Equal rights for everyone in every aspect of life," he said.
Devout Christians Gwen and Lorne Vanderwoude said they believe in accepting gays and lesbians, but not their lifestyle. After all, Ms. Vanderwoude said, God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.
"We believe in accepting the homosexuals as individuals, accepting them for who they are, but just not accepting the sin," she said.
Mr. Vanderwoude, who is a cab driver, interjected: "But we don't believe in discrimination either."
By loving and accepting homosexuals, the Camrose couple, who were out shopping for a new ironing board, said they try to understand why some choose to participate in homosexual relations given that, in their opinion, such behaviour goes against God's teachings.
"We just kind of wonder why they support the actual activity itself, or relationship whatever they want to call it, just because we have been raised in believing that according to the Bible, it states that . . . we're not to be involved in it," Ms. Vanderwoude said.
Over cigarettes and coffee at the outdoor smoking tables at Grammie's Country Kitchen, Margaret Pho and Betty Anne Cunningham are clear in their view that homosexuality is wrong, plain and simple.
"I don't like it, I just don't like it and I will not be with anybody that is that way," said Ms. Pho, 70.
Shaking her head, Ms. Cunningham, 60, jumped in.
"I guess if there's going to be people like that, then they should be put together and be with themselves. And I don't think it's an issue that the general public needs to deal with . . . If there's people in this area that are like that, then they should have their own group and go their own way and leave the rest of the public alone."
Indeed, for some in "Rose City," a farm-based Bible belt community of 16,000 about 100 kilometres southeast of Edmonton, the topic of homosexuality — never mind gay marriage — elicits among several people a reluctance to express their views publicly. "My neck's burning," one older man joked in refusing an interview.
Despite their strong opinions, few in Camrose had definite views on why the majority of Albertans oppose same-sex marriage. It might be religion, many said, or people's conservative nature, or maybe their traditional morals.
Back at Ken's Furniture store, Mr. Kanten and Mr. Finley reckoned that part of the reason is a resistance to change.
"I just don't think people are open-minded," Mr. Finley said. "They're scared . . . of something new. They're set in their ways."
Added Mr. Kanten, "It's that conservative, don't-rock-the-boat type. I think a lot of them feel like why don't they just stay in the closet, you know, out of sight, out of mind."
