Weddings. The day that every little girl dreams about. Not only do you get to act like a complete princess for a day, it also proves you and your partners' love for each other. But, what if you were restricted from being united to your soul mate? Unfortunately, this is true for forty five states in the United States when it comes to espousing someone of the same gender as yourself. In order to ensure equality, the government should immediately legalize same-sex marriage throughout the U.S. because the support for it has been growing among the public, five states have already made it legal, and it’s only fair that we all have the right to marry whom we want to.

Ding! Ding! Do you hear that? It’s the sound of support for same sex marriage in its rise to the top! In the article, “Support for Gay Marriage Growing, but U.S. Remains Divided”, Marjorie Connelly says, “In a Pew Poll conducted in October, 49 percent of respondents said they favored allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, and 40 were opposed. Four years earlier, in August 2008, the numbers were just about reversed. 39 percent in favor and 52 opposed.” There has obviously been a change of heart in terms of gay marriage over the past couple years. If over half of us believe it’s okay, then why not allow it to happen?

Not only do ordinary citizens root for gay/lesbian connubiality, but many other important role models do, too. Andrea Peyser, post columnist, agrees. Her niece and another woman wed in Massachusetts, one of the few states that have already legalized this kind of marriage. She says, “Despite abstract discomfort over normalizing gay unions, I don’t know of a soul who would discriminate against the nice guys next door. Nor would I deny my niece happiness that is evident in the size of her smile.” (Bruni) These people deserve to live normal lives, too, especially since they are no different than the rest of us. We should be listening to what our citizens have to say, especially since the majority of them find that we should make the decision to legalize gay marriage.

Five down, forty-five to go! Will gay conjugality be the winner? It is evident that five states, outside of New York, have already made same sex marriage possible. Washington D.C. is just one of these places. (Bruni) If the U.S. is supposed to be a civil union, why can’t we come to an agreement that can be applied to each and every state? According to Frank Bruni, “Twenty-one states, along with D.C., outlaw anti-gay discrimination.” Shouldn’t America be promoting equality, and not discrimination? By making gay marriage legal, we will be proving that everyone here truly is equal. Why not take even more steps to eliminate inequity, still while improving our reputation as a country?

Opposing views claim that by legalizing gay marriage, we would be breaking tradition and harming the institution of marriage as we know it. Of course, it is true that it would change things from what we are used to if this does happen, and even the dictionary defines the word “marriage” as the unity of a person of the opposite sex as yourself. However, it will not necessarily be “harming” our institution of marriage, and it is quite possible and easy to transform the meaning. By legalizing gay and lesbian marriage, many things will be different from what we are used to, but it will be a good thing in many, if not all, cases. By giving everyone the chance to be with who they adore, no matter the circumstances, we will be strengthening the concepts of matrimony and family while promoting equality. Thus, the critics of gay marriage are incorrect, and gay marriage should be legalized.


Everyone always says that life isn’t fair, but, why can’t marriage be? It might be true that things can’t always go your way, but love is another story. Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York since 2002, states, “Government should not tell you what to do unless there’s a compelling public purpose.” (Bruni) Believe it or not, we all know and love people who are gay. Preventing people from getting together with the person they love is completely outrageous. Dan Savage, a prolific author and activist, suggests, “...to define marriage simply as a pact of mutual love and care, and leave all the other rules to be negotiated depending on the couple.” ("More Perfect Unions", Douthat) If two people care for each other, then so be it. No one, not even the government, should be able to tell them what they can do. By having gay connubial illegal in most U.S. states, it’s blatantly showing how unequally we treat homosexual Americans. Would you ever want to be judged based upon your sexual orientations?

Believe it or not, there is at least one same sex couple in every town, no matter how remote the place is. It’s unjust to allow everyone else but them to take each other’s hand and get married legally. So, it is significant that the U.S. government makes these kinds of marriages legal in every state. Not only do many people support the idea and think it’s right, but even more states are coming to the same conclusion as the people, and making it legal there. It definitely wouldn’t be equitable to not pay attention to what members of this country are saying. That being said, if you want to help convince the government that legalizing homosexual marriages is the right thing to do, spread the word. By doing so, you will be benefiting the cause by getting more people to become aware of the current issue. Remember, the future of gay and lesbian marriage is in your hands.

Citations

Bruni, Frank. "To Know Us Is to Let Us Love." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 June 2011. Web. 11 Feb 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/opinion/sunday/26bruni.html?_r=0>.

Douthat, Ross. "More Perfect Unions." The New York Times. The New York Times, 3 July 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/04/opinion/04douthat.html>.

Connelly, Marjorie. "Support for Gay Marriage Growing, but U.S. Remains Divided." The New York Times. The New York Times, 7 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/08/us/justices-consider-same-sex-marriage-cases-for-docket.html>.