Important Issues: Gay Marriage

Today, one of the hot topics on everyone’s minds, buried beneath the economy, the threat of terrorism, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is a question that has been argued for a while and will continue to be argued into the future. Should someone be able to marry someone of the same sex? I have flip flopped on my feelings on this issue, until recently. I was doing a college history assignment on the woman’s right movement in the early 19th century and realized, what if woman had not gotten their right to vote, to own their own property, to be equal in marriage? Would we have some of the great women of today? Would we have women like Hillary Clinton, Madeline Albright, and Nancy Pelosi? This really got me thinking.

As I began to think about women, my thoughts turned to other groups that have overcome struggles to rise to prominence. One, of course, to which we all owe a debt of gratitude, are the separatists. These people saw a great injustice being done, their human were rights being trampled on, so they stood up to Great Britain, and the United States was born. Without these people we would not have the great country that we call home, and we would not be able to enjoy many of the great freedoms that we have to this day.

One of the separatists, Thomas Jefferson, wrote in the Declaration of Independence, that “all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Now, when Thomas Jefferson wrote this there was probably not much debate on gay marriage, it was probably not even thought of, but throughout our history, we have constantly changed our interpretation of the constitution to fit the changing times, why should this be any different.

Also, in our history, the African-American people struggled through many great struggles. They fought for their right to freedom, to citizenship, and to their right to vote. Now if we would not have given these things to the African-Americans, would we have people like Eric Holder, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and of course President Barack Obama? When Martin Luther King Jr. had his dream, do you really think it was just about African-Americans, or about all people living together, in peace, and without debate over who was right?

We are truly the country of freedom, but by not giving homosexuals the right to marry, are we not holding them back? Just like the separatists, women, African-Americans, and all of the other groups that fought for what they knew was right, we must give equality to ensure absolute freedom. We cannot say, “everyone is equal…except you,” and expect our freedoms to be sustained. The Declaration of Independence insured the right to the pursuit of happiness, why can’t homosexuals have that right. Can they not pursue what will make them happy? By giving them the right to marry, we are not taking anything away from ourselves, but actually giving ourselves better opportunities. Separatists gave us Thomas Jefferson, women gave us Hillary Clinton, African-Americans gave us Barack Obama, who will homosexuals give us? I know I am ready to find out.

Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.