How does one define love? According to the Oxford Dictionary, love is described as, “a strong feeling of affection.” Other dictionaries such as the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Urban Dictionary and Dictionary.com elucidate in a similar fashion. Out of all these dictionaries, nowhere does it say that love has to be between a man and a woman. Since the early 1970s when the lobby for same-sex marriages began in the U.S., homosexuals have faced an uphill battle. This civil rights movement was another turning point in American history as traditional values went head to head with those of modern society. Advocates argue that this movement has shown that gay marriage presents no cultural, constitutional, or moral challenges of merit, and should be made legal. After all, should we not have the right to love whomever we want?

Over the years America has become a melting pot of diverse cultures, society accepting and encompassing different traditions, beliefs and ways of life. The legalization of gay marriage would just be another ingredient to the pot. “Gay men and lesbians have now come to a place where our relationships are inherently natural and normal in the course of everyday life, because people get married in the course of everyday life” (Allison Bauer). One of the biggest arguments adversaries of gay marriage have made was the discrimination children of gay couples would face. This is not very likely, as times change and civilizations advance and people have become more tolerant of differences. In 1999, 57 percent of Americans opposed gay adoption. By 2006, 46 percent were in favor. Although this is not a substantial change, it shows society’s progressivity on gay adoption and how the idea is slowly being accepted. Today when teenagers were asked if family had to be blood related, 76 percent said no, while 18 percent were undecided. “Family can be defined as both blood and or any group of people by which you accept solely for who they are, regardless of whatever comes between you”(Kenenni Wigand, 15 years old). Furthermore, according to “Adoption and Foster Care by Gay and Lesbian Parents in the United States” (2007), research conducted by Williams Institute of the UCLA School of Law and the Urban Institute of Washington, DC, displayed that same-sex couples raising adoptive children were older, more educated, and had more economic resources than other adoptive parents. Homosexuals couples need a child to love, there are thousands of orphans who need a family; does it really matter that the parents are not “straight”? As our culture becomes more progressive, it would make sense for our government to follow along.

As a nation we have defined our government as one that is just and fair under the law. This image is unfulfilled as lawmakers discriminate against same-sex couples. Senators like John Cornyn (R-TX) say that they are taking a principled stand for the “sanctity” of marriage, but all they are doing is mixing government with religion, something that should never be done. Other senators try to appease both sides by allowing same-sex couples to enter into civil unions or domestic partnerships, but it is not the same thing as marriage. “We deserve the same rights as anyone else” says Wilfred Labiosa, an activist in the Boston gay community. This civil rights movement is not a march to receive the financial benefits of marriage, it is simpler than that; “gays and lesbians want to live with the person they love and be treated like normal Americans” (David Moat). Furthermore, challengers claim that the legalization of gay marriage would not hold up. This is not a valid argument and can be disproved by looking at other states and countries that have already passed this legislation.


Countries where same-sex marriages are legal from Same-sex marriage article: World Book
American states where same-sex marriages are legal from Same-sex marriage article: World Book

In the past when government officials have attempted to pass laws that defined marriage, they were declared unconstitutional because the laws violated the Fifth Amendment. An example of that was the DOMA. The Defense of Marriage Act signed by President Bill Clinton September 21, 1996 and written by Bob Bar, a Georgia Republic defined marriage as a, “a legal union between one man and one woman.” In 2012, this act was declared by the Supreme Court unlawful. No document or book should be able to dictate whom we can love and whom we can marry. And in the U.S. with separation of church and state, not even the Bible has this authority.

Many people’s obstinate aggression towards gay marriage is derived from their beliefs. Adversaries argue that marriage is a sacred union that should be reserved for one man and one woman, pointing out that same-sex marriage goes against the Bible. Although this is true, it is also important to realize that it says in the Bible that if a wife sleeps with another man that is not her husband, he can stone her to death. It also says that it is acceptable to enslave another human being. Both these practices today are deemed outdated and inhumane. Another argument that is often brought up is the purpose of marriage, procreation. Despite the justification, it can be reasoned that adoption is a possible option. Why should anyone have the power to say that one’s love is more pure than another? Why should they have the authority to decide the depth of another’s compassion? What gives them the right to put a definite label on an emotion that is indefinite? What lawmakers, challengers, and adversaries seem to forget is that homosexuals are not asking that people understand them or their ways; they are not even asking people to accept them; they just want to be treated equally, a right every American has.

Adversaries look at gay marriage and say, “it is not natural” or “it goes against God”. They are allowed to believe that— it is their right and that right is protected under the First Amendment—but at the same time advocates have that right too. Meaning neither side can force their beliefs on one another. This fight for equality is a battle to end discrimination and injustice under the law. Homosexuals have faced an uphill climb since the movement began in the 1970s, their path riddled with cultural, constitutional and moral obstacles. Their fight continues on today, (their advocates and adversaries, traditional and modern values) knowing that at the end awaits the right to love and marry whomever they please.