“Gay Rights : A New Perspective On An Old Topic”

In the past 20 or 30 years, the “hot topic” in America has been Gay Rights and Gay Marriage.

This essay is geared mainly towards the restoration, the institution rather, of same-sex partners'

rights as United States citizens. The controversial and taboo nature of this subject is what led me

to choose this topic. We shall now endeavor into the world of equal

rights.

As a whole, the importance of equal rights is monumental. Imagine a world where your race, creed or color determines what type of treatment you receive in everyday society. This is the world in which many same-sex partners live. As it may be hard to believe for someone such as yourself, it is a hard reality to swallow for many Americans.

Some Americans stand by their beliefs that equal rights, as far as marriage goes, diminishes so-called “family values”. However, when almost 3% of America's population (almost 9 million people), admit to being predominantly homosexual, how can we honestly say we're protecting family values for these people when they can't legally have families? The United States were founded on the idea that these people would not be oppressed, based on their religious beliefs, or any other reason. Contradictorily, same sex couples have been forced, for their own good, to stay silent about their beliefs, values and morals. This, in my opinion, is in no way following in the footsteps of our forefathers. If we really want to protect family values, we ought to accept every person in the U.S. as our brother or sister and defend their rights, as well as the “moral majority”.

Some of my naysayers will argue that being in a same-sex relationship is “wrong”. But my question to them is, to whom is this action considered “wrong”? I these people were in the shoes of so many Americans who are fighting for their right to join in matrimony, they wouldn't feel it was all that wrong, I don't believe. My point is, the categorizing of right and wrong is all relative. If a man and a woman have the right to join in marriage, so should a man and a man, or a woman and a woman. My side is simple. Give equal rights to ALL Americans, not just select citizens. Gay people have the obligation to pay taxes and join the military, in times of draft, so should they have the moral right to join together as a couple in nothing more than love, bearing the same fruits of their heartfelt dedication to this beautiful country of ours, the UNITED States of America.

My argument remains simple. Equal rights ought to be given to a people that have fought so hard for them in the past years. No one person in this country is better nor worse than the next. We ought to start recognizing this FACT. I shall stand by these words through sunshine and rain, for the rights of citizens ought to be rights, not privileges.