America was founded around the concept of freedom. The law provides every citizen basic rights that all humans deserve. One right is marriage. Legal spouses pay joint taxes, are allowed to make medical decisions for a partner that cannot express their own wishes, and have equal custody over children, so the marriage certificate makes a difference. Yet somehow, many states have set bans on same-sex marriage. These restrictions deny Americans their birthrights due to silly reasons.

The bible says homosexuality is a sin.

Married couples should be able to have children.

It’s just not natural.

What about love is love? The core of marriage is not the ability to have children or the symbol of a man and a woman, but love. Heterosexuality is no more “normal” than any other relationship. We could be banning violence by regulating gun use or low rates of success in schools by investing more in education, but instead we’re banning love. There is no logic behind any argument against marriage equality.

“God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” This retort made by those opposing gay marriage is overstated and simply not a valid argument. Many times, religion is the movement’s worst rival. While the bible may preach against same-sex couples, it also prohibits eating seafood, wearing clothing made out of more than one type of material, and women speaking in church. The bible should be interpreted for it’s overarching meaning, rather than each individual teaching which are often outdated. It was written thousands of years ago, so naturally not everything mentioned applies to life today. In addition, the United States has a separation of law from religion, meaning that while something may not be allowed in one religion, that does not dictate that no one can do it. Religion is a personal belief, not a universally consistent truth. The bible is a document that people can chose to base their life around, but does not govern everyone.

The second common argument for marriage remaining selectively between a man and a woman is that marriage for procreation. Anti-gay marriage activists often insist that since same-sex couples cannot have children in the conventional way, they are not meant to be parents and children should not be raised by gay couples. Gay marriage has been considered to “undermine the constitution of marriage”, as though two men loving each other was on par with incest, polygamy, and beastiality. This fear of change is unreasonable not only because homosexuality is not a new concept, but because the content of love isn’t varied by who feels it. The defense that they cannot have their own children is as outdated as citing the bible. Reproduction is hardly a necessity with the human population of earth overflowing at over 7 billion people. Should we really be shaming loving parents that are taking one of the millions of unwanted children into their care? Gays and lesbians make for just as good parents as straight couples do. Contrary to a popular belief, homosexuality cannot “rub off” on children exposed to it.
There are many misconceptions about homosexuality. It’s not a mental illness or a phase. People have tried to “cure” it when it’s not a disease at all. Why don’t people have to come out straight? Heterosexuality is no more normal. Traditionally, marriage has been about reproduction, status, and money. Marriages were once arranged, but in America today, none of these things are the first concern when it comes to choosing a life partner. Marriage equality is not a political issue, it’s a human rights one. Everyone has the right to be legally wed to a person they love. The benefits supplied to legally married couples cannot be withheld with some citizens of the United States. Yet they are in 32 states in America. Massachusetts was the first state to legalize this basic right and it’s time for the rest to join it. Whether or not a single person’s beliefs support varied sexualities has no relevance in the legal right for people to marry.

To conclude, same-sex marriage should be legalized everywhere. Religion is an individual choice and does not dictate other people’s rights in America. The bible isn’t a valid piece of evidence if not everyone follows it. Every day, unorthodox couples are being wed, from different races to different religions and gay couples are no different. We shouldn’t fear a different kind of love. Sexual orientation has no factor in the ability of two people to parent a child. Same-sex couples are just as worthy of the right to get married as anyone else.