Without the freedom to marry, Americans pay a heavy price

“It’s a free country.” This saying is heard countless times, all across the nation, every day. It’s the slogan of America; it’s what we pride ourselves on. Then why aren’t all people free? Many are still gripped by the bonds of inequality – something that should have ended with slavery or women’s voting rights. But if two people who love each other can’t marry, how is that freedom?

Gay marriage has been legal in other countries for more than a decade: Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina, Denmark, France, Brazil, Uruguay, and New Zealand. Why not the United States?

Sexuality is irrelevant to marriage. Marriage is a personal issue, and how two people choose to live their lives is their business, not the government’s. 

The most common argument against homosexuality is that it goes against religion. But isn’t part of the base of our democracy the separation of church and state?

The Bible states that it is unholy for a man to lie next to another man. It also states that one is not allowed to use the bathroom in the same house he sleeps in, but you don’t see people digging holes in their backyards or using outhouses.

Others claim it’s just not right. There are a lot of things in the world that are not right. Poverty, hunger, and homelessness are among them. Why don’t we worry about issues that directly affect the fate of the human race, instead of wasting time worrying about who’s dating who.

This isn’t high school.

According to a new Washington Post poll, “support for gay marriage has hit a new high, with 59 percent of Americans backing it, while only 34 percent are opposed. The poll also finds that 50 percent believe the Constitution’s equal protection clause guarantees the legal right to marry”.

Some also claim that gay marriage should not be allowed because then if everyone is gay, no one can reproduce. They don’t seem to understand that “gay” is not a contagious disease. People are born gay, they don’t turn gay and, realistically, if two people are together they will stay together, whether they can marry or not. So why deny them the benefits of marriage?

The whole issue is unnecessary and an embarrassment to our nation. It proves the small-mindedness of Americans that we have tried so hard to cover up with liberal agendas and public service organizations.

The fact that there is a law against love is utterly preposterous.

America is a free country. So why don’t we act like it?

–April 9, 2014–