How old are you? What’s your political stance? Where did you grow up? In the end, it doesn’t really matter where you came from or how old you are—your views are your own because we are America. We have opinions. We are entitled to state our own opinion and not have someone fire back at you with facts that you don’t care about.
The government shouldn’t get in the way of me shaping my opinion or changing my opinion on what I want to do. If I want to get married to a man I’ve been seeing, I’m allowed. So why can’t I have the option of marrying a woman, too?
Twenty seven states have legalized gay marriage, but what are the gay couples in the 23 states that still have a ban on gay marriage supposed to do since they can’t marry the love of their life?
According to CNN.com, Alaskan District Judge Timothy Burgess overturned the ban on same-sex marriage, which has been in effect for 16 years, since 1998. However, this new case will be appealed in the U.S. Court of Appeals and who knows where that will lead.
The U.S. Supreme Court has recently refused to hear from five states that want to keep their same-sex marriage bans in place and it seems as if this refusal could mean a lift on many same-sex marriage bans. Since eleven states still have a ban (Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Kansas, Wyoming, Virginia, Utah, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin) and are covered by the same “circuit appeals courts,” as CNN.com mentions, this could mean another eleven states in agreement of same-sex marriage.
If you’re still against girls kissing girls and guys kissing guys, maybe you’re still living too far in the past. Have you heard the most shocking news yet? The Vatican (that’s right, the Pope in Rome who is Catholic) wants to settle this ordeal. A Vatican document stated that “homosexuals had gifts and qualities to offer and asked if Catholicism could accept gays and recognize positive aspects of same-sex couples,” according to the Huffington Post.
Wait a second, but doesn’t the Bible restrict that? Why, yes, I’m glad you asked. “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination,” as is stated in Leviticus 18:22. But times have changed. To be clearer, the Pope has changed and the Holy City is changing. Maybe your views, which you decide by yourself and should not be shrouded by what other people tell you, should change as well. But then again, maybe you really don’t want everyone to be happy.
Utah Governor Gary Hubert said it best. “Regardless of your personal beliefs… please treat each other with respect and with kindness as we transition through this new law.” Stop discrimination because it is 2014 and we need to respect each other and unite as a nation, not remain separate as individuals.
