Land Of The Discriminated

In every society, there a multitude of different types of people. Different religions, different values, and after some others, different sexual preferences. There are some countries in the world that do not identify the union of two people of the same sex as a nuisance. But there are others, like the United States, find it unacceptable and refuse to honor such a couples' existence. America has become accepting to other ethic backgrounds and ways of life, why not that of gays and lesbians? America's refusal to honor the views and lifestyles of their own brethren undermine the base of what it was founded on and defers people from living the life they dream of, in this the "Land of the Free." Gays and lesbians are not only denied the right to marriage, but also the benefits that are given to a married couple.

Starting with the Declaration of Independence in 1776: the words "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, That among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," could be found in the very beginning of the document that set America aside from all the other nations of the world. It cannot be said that these words are being held true by today's standards. Is it to say that:: "all me are created equal... except people who seek relationships with others of the same sex?" It is very easy to see these words are not guiding lawmakers due to the fact that individuals cannot marry their same sex partners.

Again in more recent years the United States Supreme Court, in 1967, declared marriage is "one of the basic civil rights of man." The freedom to marry, is "essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness." So the idea of the "pursuit of happiness" is in the minds of judges in America, yet they don't exercise their power to grant gays and lesbians their constitutional right when the issue comes to their bench.

Another advantage to marriage is a more stable home. In an essay by Thomas B. Stoddard,