In this country, we are promised certain rights. I look around today though, and all I see are the people who are being denied their happiness. Aren’t we supposed to be free to pursue our own happiness, just as we are free to practice the religion of our choice?
I am a young, straight female in the United States, but I have many gay and lesbian friends. These people are good people and do not try to force their views on anyone else. Have you ever had a homosexual beat you up because you were straight? No, most likely not! Have you ever had a gay man or lesbian woman try to force YOU to be homosexual? No, because they understand that everyone is different.
I know a lot of people out there believe they CHOSE to be that way. Let me ask you a question, would you choose to be hated for who you are? Would you choose to be the victim of a hate crime? Would you choose to be cast out from your religious families because you come out to them? Would you choose to be ridiculed, teased, or otherwise mentally abused by people who don’t even know you? No, not if you are relatively sane. So why would anyone else?

I believe in the saying, “You can’t help who you love.” A lot of the physical attraction is due to chemical reactions in the body anyhow, and you can’t control those. If I were to be attracted to a female, it would be because my body reacted to her, not because I chose to be attracted to her.
Many of my friends tried so hard to be straight, they tried to force themselves to be attracted to the opposite sex, but it never worked. The only thing they succeeded in doing was torturing themselves and thinking there was something wrong with them.
I know, I know, it’s in the Bible that being gay is wrong. That is another big issue I have, not everyone follows the same religion! And the fact that same sex marriage is illegal in most of the US is ridiculous, what happened to the seperation of church and state. So many people of different religions are so hypocritical anyways, before judging what other people do in their private lives they should look at what they do in their own! I understand that people don’t want their children or themselves exposed to homosexuality, that is why they fight it so hard. There is a very simple solution, marry someone of the opposite sex. Just because they allow same sex marriage doesn’t mean it will effect you in anyway, you are not being forced into marrying anyone of your sex. You are allowed your liberties and your happiness, why would it bother you to allow those things for someone else.
My theory is that many Christian or other God-fearing religions wouldn’t lay awake at night saying, “There are gay men getting married somewhere across the country right now, my life is ruined!” Also, it doesn’t decrease your chance of getting into heaven. What I don’t get is, many Christians have gotten married and then divorced, what does the bible say about divorce?

My opinion in the end is, if it doesn’t effect your life directly, you have no reason to deny anyone certain rights.