One of the biggest issues in the news lately is talk about whether gay marriages should be allowed or should be banned in the United States. President Bush endorsed a constitutional amendment on February 24, 2004 that would allow two people of the same sex to marry but left open the possibility of states to allow civil unions. Bush wanted this constitutional amendment because the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court granted rights to same-sex couples. It said that denying marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples is unconstitutional. If everything goes through according to plan, Massachusetts will be the first state to legalize same sex marriages which will start on May 17. Ohio has already announced that they will not support same marriages. I disagree with President Bush and feel that same sex marriage should be allowed in the United States.
Our country was founded on the principle of equal rights for everyone and that our country was a land of opportunity. Yet all of the sudden, when two men or two women want to form a legal bond of marriage, our government of legal opportunities says that it is not allowed. I don’t believe that anyone can make the decision to say to someone that they aren’t allowed to be married just because they are of the same sex.
In a statement by Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, CNN.com reported, “It is wrong to write discrimination into the U.S. Constitution, and it is shameful to use attacks against gay and lesbian families as an election strategy.” I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. Writing into the constitution that gays and lesbians can’t marry is a form of discrimination and has no place in the constitution. Gays and lesbians want some form of commitment to each other and who is the government to tell them that they can’t? I do not believe the government should get involved.
In a poll that USA Today did, 24% of the people polled would favor a law that would allow homosexual couples to legally marry, 53% opposed and 23% had no opinion. Although the poll indicates that many people are not in favor of having homosexual marriages, there are still many people who are unsure. People in the United States are not ready to make a decision regarding same sex marriages. If the government is supposed to represent the people, then they should not be ready to make a decision either.
In the 1960’s and 1970’s, many people were opposed to marriages between couples of different races, especially those marriages between blacks and whites. Now, for the most part, society has accepted different race marriages. I think that gay marriages will be a concept that society will likely accept over time. As with inter-racial marriages, it may take decades for society to accept same sex marriages.
Gays and lesbians in society are now much more public about their feelings for one another than what they used to be. And society is much more accepting of them. I think that having Massachusetts take the first step in allowing gays to marry is a step in the right direction. I believe that Massachusetts is doing the right thing and I hope other states eventually do the right thing too.

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