Marriage. The government should not be able to control who we can and cannot marry.  People have the right to do what makes them happy. There shouldn’t be segregation against gay and lesbian couples. Love is love and people should be able to make the decision if they want to marry someone of the same sex or someone of the opposite sex. Some people who are religious think same-sex marriage is a sin and should be prohibited, but in reality, same-sex marriage should not impact someone’s religious freedoms. Most people in the government do not want homosexual couples to have the same marriage benefits as heterosexual couples. Marriage benefits should be the same for everyone, no matter their sexuality. This is a nationwide issue that we need to resolve soon.

According to the US Constitution, everyone has the right to the pursuit of happiness. The government does is not allowed to deny equal rights to anyone, no matter their sexuality. While most millennials in the United States believe in same-sex marriage, many people especially those older than the age of 65 disagree with same-sex marriage and homosexuality. Only a small percentage of older people believe in gay and lesbian marriage. Although many people do agree with homosexuality, three homosexual couples were sued in the state of Hawaii. We should allow people to choose whoever they want to marry and not let the gender get in the way of love and happiness.

Some people think that same-sex marriage is a sin and against their religion, but in reality, same-sex marriage should not impact religious freedoms. Believe it or not, but eight major religions actually sanction same-sex marriage! On the negative side, eight other major religions prohibit same-sex marriage and consider it to be a sin. Other religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism have no clear position on the issue. A poll was taken and it showed that the majority of young Catholics think that people in same-sex relationships should be accepted and not neglected just because of their sexuality. The poll also showed that the majority of older people opposed same-sex marriage and think it should not be allowed and those people of homosexuality should not be accepted. People need to realize that homosexual people are still people and should not be treated any differently than straight, heterosexual people.

Another issue our country needs to deal with is gay and lesbian couples not being able to have the same benefits as opposite sex marriage couples. Homosexual couples don’t get nearly as many benefits as straight couples! For example, same-sex couples can’t file a joint tax return, they can’t take guaranteed time off from work to care for their spouse if they are sick, get insurance, pension or inheritance benefits. Also, people in same-sex marriages get no federal benefits if their partner dies while couples that are heterosexual do! Many states have made same-sex marriage legal while others have not. Massachusetts is included of the group of states that made same-sex legal in 2004. Although it is legal in most places, homosexual people still don’t get treated the same way as heterosexual people.

Many people in the government (mainly conservatives) think that same-sex marriage is wrong and should be legal. Many people who are apart of the government say that same-sex marriage does not help the economy. “In fact, on a number of indicators, states with same-sex marriage are in worse shape.” (Same-Sex Marriage Does Not Help The Economy). This article also says, “same-sex marriage states makeup thirty percent of the states with the best rates of unemployment…” The article then goes on to talk about how much better states with marriage amendments are. “They make up ninety percent of the top states in overall job growth…” Your choice in marriage shouldn’t put your chances at a good job at risk. A state that allows same-sex marriage shouldn’t be viewed differently and shouldn’t be less economically successful. The reasons some states do better than others aren’t only because of their marriage laws. There are other factors that play a much bigger role in a state’s success such as location, population and natural resources. Massachusetts and California are two states that both allow same-sex marriage and are two of the top states that are economically successful.

Although we have come a long way within the past 50-100 years, we still have a long way to go until same-sex marriage people will get the rights they truly deserve. Overall, love is love and it shouldn’t matter what gender the person is, people should be allowed to make their choice of who to marry without being judged.