This I Believe

Equality Above All Else

Throughout American history laws have been passed in order to establish the rights of the American people in the country. For example, the fifteenth amendment outlawed a ban on the right to vote towards African Americans, and the nineteenth amendment was women’s suffrage. In today’s world most Americans think that not letting African Americans get married is ridiculous. So why not let gays marry? They are Americans like everyone else and they are entitled to their own rights. I believe that it is unfair that gays do not have the same rights as everyone else just because the government is bringing religious values into politics.

One of the basic principles that the American government has been built on is the separation of church and state. It is a simple principle, but for some reason our government likes to ignore it. The principle of separation of church and state was put into place because people came to America in order to not be judged on their beliefs or to be persecuted. The question of allowing gay marriage only came up because of the religion of Christianity. What Christianity teaches is not necessarily wrong, but it is not necessarily right either. Christians do not believe in gay marriage or anything else that has to do with gay individuals. A majority of Americans are Christian; even our president is Christian. That does not justify ignoring what everyone else in America believes. America is supposed to be the land of equals and yet gay individuals are not being treated equally.

Equality is not being practiced in one of the key parts of the American government, the military. Right now the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy is in affect since the Clinton Administration. If gay individuals want to fight for the country on my behalf, then let them. It is their own right to show their patriotism, even though it is towards a country that questions their morals. It should not matter if people are gay or straight because they are willing to lay their lives on the line for their country, and that makes that them a hero no matter who they say they are. The government does not have the right to put their noses in other people’s private lives just because they do not agree with each others’ beliefs. Our rights are given to us the moment we are born in this country, and now our rights are being taken away just because of who we are.

I believe that gay individuals are entitled to their rights because I believe in equality. It is not fair for society to say that certain people can marry and others cannot marry. It is unjust and it goes against what America stands for, freedom. I believe that a ban on gay marriage is wrong along with any other ban on gay rights. In the future, hopefully citizens of this country will be able to understand the prejudice that is behind the laws that are in place against gay individuals. I would encourage everyone to consider the wrongs that have been done against the gay community, and to put themselves in their position to see for themselves. I believe that America will one day recognize their mistakes and remove any laws that go against the gay culture.