Shelby Wallace
Ad Manager
On June 26, 2015, the right to marry was granted to those of the LGBT community. Gay marriage is now legal in all 50 states, as well as all of the United States’ possessions and territories.
The LGBT community has fought for this day to come. Decades have been spent protesting and rallying for equality. Finally, our nation can proudly unite two human beings, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender.
“I am so excited about gay marriage it’s unreal! The day it was made legal I was at the LGBTQ+ Pride fest in Saint Louis and it was absolutely amazing to see everyone so excited and happy about the future of America,” said Morgan Cates, former President of the Pride Club.
Love should not be a reason to take away someone’s rights. For example, many Westboro Baptist Church go-ers argue that gay marriage defeats the purpose of marriage, “A union between a man and woman.” However, marriage is, and should be, the union between two people who love and support one another.
Some people believe that gay marriage breeds a toxic environment for children. However, a study conducted by the University of Melbourne, showed that children with gay parents matched equally in self-esteem and emotional well-being compared to children with straight parents. Not only did it reveal this, but the children with gay parents had displayed better health and family unity than the national average.
Gay marriage will provide financial benefits to the country as well. According to the Washington Post, gay marriage could bring in about 2.6 billion dollars in the next three years as well as more jobs in the marriage industry.
I’d have to say legalizing gay marriage was not only the right choice to make, but the smartest for the U.S., especially when you consider the emotional and financial results.
Morgan Cates agrees, “In my opinion, the U.S. is finally moving in the right direction with marriage equality. I love my girlfriend more than anything, and I’m thrilled I now have the chance to marry her in any state, if we choose.”
To find out how you can support LGBT equal rights, visit www.hrc.org for more information.