Americans have the freedom to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As elections near please consider what these freedoms mean to you and how they affect your loved ones.
To many American lesbian and gay couples, their freedom does not allow a devoted life with someone of the same sex. There are approx. 901,997 gay and lesbian couples living and loving in the U.S. In the most opportunistic country in the world, it’s illegal for same sex couples to marry in 42 of the 50 states. The states that allow it are Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Washington, Washington D.C. and Iowa, a mere 20% of the country. People from numerous nations come here to seek freedom and opportunity, yet many States deny basic human rights, encourage discrimination and outcast homosexual citizens.
As a human, no matter your sexual identification, you should have a right to celebrate your love and commit to your partner. Homosexual couples are entitled to receive the same benefits as heterosexual couples, especially in the U.S. Marriage is the union of two hearts as one. It ensures each partner is the entitled to share health benefits, receive inheritance and pensions, complete a unified tax return and are the legal representative for their spouse should they fall ill.
This right has been denied to homosexual couples they are forced to live with the fear of “What if’s?” What if her love was unconscious and ill, and her significant other’s insurance doesn’t cover her because they are not in a legal marriage recognized by local state law? Isn’t it fortunate that you are not her? What if you get into a car accident and your only option is to live as a human vegetable or pull the plug? The person who you stayed up all night discussing and sharing your future plans with will not be able to enforce those requests. The U.S is proud to be a federalist country in which we protect our citizens through the Constitution and guarantee their freedoms with the Bill of Rights. Yet, the direct opposite is our nation’s current status quo.
Gay marriage is protected by the U.S. Constitution’s commitments to liberty and equality for all. The U.S. Supreme Court declared in 1974’s Cleveland Board of Education v. LaFleur that the “freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage and family life is one of the liberties protected by the Due Process Clause.” This law doesn’t include exemptions or state limitations. Denying marriage to a person because of their sexual preference is illegal and unconstitutional. As a proud nation of freedom, America can’t deny these rights to citizens based on sexual identity. A poll of the LMC was conducted to observe how many of 200 students surveyed were on the affirmative for gay and lesbian marriage, and out of that 200 many identified themselves as homosexual. As a result, the poll showed that 67 out of these 200, 33% stated they were either gay or lesbian, and 51.8% of the overall 200 students do in fact support same sex marriage, more than half of the students surveyed.
Heterosexuals and homosexuals are prevalent in our community, college campuses to local groceries, facing the same daily struggles and triumphs. As Americans, homosexuals have endured the economic crisis. As Americans, homosexuals have suffered through natural disasters, 9/11 and Katrina and have witnessed the first African American president in office. As Americans, homosexuals pay their taxes and should be granted equal opportunities and all benefits of living in this great country, just as they share in the tribulations.
The point is all races, genders and sexual identities have the right to legally marry in all 50 states of the great nation.