Here it is! Criticism is welcome!

     It was not until 1967, less than 50 years ago, that interracial marriage became legal in every US state. It was not until 2004 that the first same-sex marriage was performed in the United States. With advances in medicine, technology, and science happening at lightning speed, why is marriage equality being left in the dust? Same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere, and to prohibit it harms families, strips people of their constitutional rights, and damages the economy.

Many of the arguments made against same-sex marriage revolve around religion. People argue that the Bible prohibits gay marriage, though there are actually very few references the subject at all. In fact, the Catholic Pope, as well as many other religious leaders, have grown much more accepting of gay marriage in recent years. In addition, the Bible condemns many other things like working on Sunday, cutting your hair, eating shellfish, and wearing clothes made out of more than one fabric. How is it fair to pick out the rules that you agree with and ignore the rest?

On a similar note, marriage is a legal agreement that should not be impacted by religious institutions. Individuals are free to incorporate religious rules and ceremonies into their weddings, but this should not be forced on everyone. People should not be denied the right to marry because of the beliefs of specific groups of people. If I really didn’t like cats and thought they made terrible pets, and I got a large percent of the population to agree with me, that doesn’t mean that laws should be passed banning people from owning cats as pets. 

Another common argument is that children will suffer if they do not have a mother and a father. This is wildly inaccurate. A study by the University of Melbourne in 2014 found that children with two mothers or two fathers scored the same or slightly higher than their peers in categories like general health, social skills, and academic performance. I know many people who live with only one parent and are just as loved and well cared for as people with both parents. With over 115,000 children in America waiting to be adopted, shouldn’t we encourage gay couples to marry and start families?

Allowing more people to marry is good for the economy. The average American couple will spend around $25,000 on their wedding. This money goes towards a dress, cake, flowers, and more, often from small, locally owned companies. This stimulates the economy and provides income for business owners and their employees. In 2012, Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City reported that gay marriage alone had contributed $259 million to the city’s economy in only a year.

Perhaps the most important aspect of marriage equality is the protection it provides for married couples. It guarantees that they can do things like combine their finances, both be considered legal guardians of their children, and visit each other in the hospital. Many people take these things for granted. How would you feel if you were denied you access to your spouse or child because the hospital didn’t consider you “family”? Or if you died and your spouse was left with no money or health benefits because you had never been allowed to legally marry?     

    To summarize, marriage equality is an absolute necessity to ensure the freedom, safety, and well-being of same-sex couples. Many all of the arguments against it are based on misconceptions and are therefore invalid. Our own Declaration of Independence states that everyone should have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To ignore this would be to go against the very principles upon which our country was founded.