Gay Marriage

Gay marriage is a subject that can be viewed as religious, political and a generally touchy topic for some people. In this entry, I plan to establish why exactly I think marriage should be available to anyone who wants to enter the commitment because I firmly believe gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry.


The most logical point alludes to the U.S.'s principle of the separation of Church and State. Often, reasons for keeping gay marriage illegal have to do with it being a sin or not the way God created man, and that's fine if you believe that, I suppose, but actions based on those views have no place in our government. Religion stays in the Church, and legislation remains in the State. The government does not try to tell churches, temples or mosques how they should act, so religion needs to stop affecting the government.

I realize that's a hard feat; our nation was born out of pilgrims who were persecuted for their religion, and our founding fathers were likely of Christian belief, but when they established the law of the land, church was not included. America is not a theocracy, and until it is such, believing someone is going to Hell is just not a good reason to abstain from federally recognizing two people who want to marry. If an individual church or other religious establishment does not wish to perform the ceremony, fine -- it's a privately owned place of worship. But gays should at least have the right to marry in more than 10 percent of the country.


Gays and lesbians are no different than any straight man or woman. I know this because I am sure there is nothing fundamentally wrong with me that justifies denying me the privilege to celebrate with whom I want to spend my life, and should saying that eliminate any of my potential credibility, then so be it. In the 1960s, the majority was hesitant about what the Civil Rights Act would do to the country, but today we can't imagine being without it. If our nation promotes equality and nondiscrimination, it is unjustified to be selective about to whom these values are applied.

Furthermore, permitting gay marriage will not, contrary to the belief of some, destroy the sanctity of marriage. Gays and lesbians do not want to get married so that they can get divorced. They want to get married for the same reason straight people should want to: love. As a society, we've moved past the time when marriage was more of an economic partnership or when a woman needed protection so she could focus on caring for her young. The point of marriage is that you have found as person that you love so much that you want to spend the rest of your life with, be there for, and share everything with them. The government does not have the right to deny that, nor do those who do not support it. It's either a personal matter, or it's between an individual and God.

I understand perfectly well that there will always be people who are homophobic or do not support gay marriage -- after all, there will always be racists, too. But it really comes down to a simple thing: If you're not a homosexual who wants to get married, it's not your business. It's not the government's place to deny one's right to pursue happiness either; check the Bill of Rights. Even if you are not in favor of it, you will not be adversely affected by two people who are happily in love, I promise. Even if they don't fit your preconceived notion of what a happy couple should be.





A light-hearted way to close the subject.