UNITED STATES—This is a discussion that we need to have. For centuries we have lived in a bubble about the idea regarding the issue of marriage. It’s 2014, yet we live in a world where those who want to get married are not able to do so? Why? We live by this belief system in religion that states marriage is between a man and a woman. While that may be true, who says the idea of marriage can’t be re-defined?

 

The U.S. Supreme Court made waves in 2013 with the overturning of Proposition 8, which opened the floodgates for gay couples all over the

United States with hope that one day they would have the ability to marry without any strings being attached. Marriage in my eyes is when two people love each other. It should not matter the person’s race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc. Love is love and we as a nation should not be fighting to halt such an institution.

 

Unfortunately, we live in a world where so many people are adamant about ensuring that the institution of marriage remains between a man and a woman, because it’s what has been written in the Bible. It’s important to note there are many things in the Bible that Americans don’t fully embrace. If I went through the list of things that are considered sins and how we embrace those things much more than we know, are we honoring the beliefs and values of the written word?

As a heterosexual male, it does not disturb me that marriage could take place between two men or two women. In my opinion, why are we so concerned with what other people are doing? Those fighting for this right are doing so to ensure that their significant other is protected in the legal arena in case one becomes ill, suddenly passes away or issues involving children who have been legally adopted by one party, but not the other, as deemed in

Michigan. While so many speculate it’s all about receiving social security and health insurance, there is so much more to the issue that some Americans are not realizing. It’s a fundamental right that people should have.

By limiting the statute of marriage to only between a man and a woman, we as a nation are discriminating. Yeah, people will argue and make excuses that this isn’t the case, but guess what? It is. When we prevent someone from having a fundamental right that so many others have especially when race, religion, gender or sexual orientation is involved, that is the definition of discrimination.

 

I thought we lived in a nation where the Declaration of Independence states, “All men are created equal.” That is a phrase that I continue to go back to time and time again, as it’s a document that supposedly defines

America as a nation; unfortunately, those words have little importance.

 

There is no point in me even going through the laundry list of instances where this didn’t take place, slavery would be one example, and voting rights would be another. We say we’re a nation of equality, but each time I turn around we have another example of why that notion is not true.  Marriage is an institution about love – plain and simple. Those who are in love should have that fundamental right to get married regardless of their sexual orientation. Strides are being made to make this happen, but we still have a long way to go.