Same-Sex Marriage.... The Beginning of Something New

Same-Sex Marriage.... The Beginning of Something New

Same-sex marriage has been a conflict in our country as most people see marriage as being defined by a man and a woman. It was determined by law that people of the same gender should not be given the opportunity to marry because it does not follow the moral standard of allowing only a man and woman to wed. Those who oppose gay couples due to their lifestyle are people who do not factor in that anyone should be allowed to love whoever they choose regardless of gender. We can easily say that same-sex marriage has come a long way but is all of America ready for such change?

"Marriage to me is a union between two people who love each other, no matter what race or gender they are," Ryan Hudson, a fellow co-worker says. "Now that same-sex marriage has been legalized in North Carolina, my fiancé and I plan to marry in the spring and we're really excited about it because this is a change we've been hoping would happen for a long time."

North Carolina is one of the 35 states where same-sex marriage has been legalized and although it has been legalized, a local magistrate and churches have refused to perform marriages due to their religious beliefs. "The magistrate's refusal to perform the marriage is part of a small, but growing trend of religiously motivated civil disobedience" (Haq, 2014). An "unnamed" magistrate refused to marry William Locklear and Randall Jackson in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. This was a story that hits close to home with Mr. Hudson. "I wouldn't want anyone to marry my fiancé and I, if they don't believe in our union religiously" Says Mr. Hudson. "Same-sex marriage is going through a transition in this country and eventually people are going to have to have a discussion about it."

President Barack Obama opposed same-sex marriage until 2012 where he stated that the states should decide whether they want same-sex couples to marry and he also "urged" the states to "embrace" the unions as well (Baker, 2014). Since then as of November 19, 2014, 35 states have legalized same-sex marriage, 10 states have banned same-sex marriages and 5 states are under court review. Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas have declared same-sex marriages unconstitutional but the rulings in those states have been stayed (CNN Library, 2014).

The struggle to have same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states, reminds us of the struggle Mildred and Richard Loving went through to have interracial marriage legal. "In 1958, 17-year-old Mildred Jeter and her childhood sweetheart, 23-year old construction worker Richard Loving, traveled from their homes in Virginia to marry in Washing-ton, D.C. When they returned, they were arrested, brought before a judge and given the option: one year in jail, or leave the state for no less than 25 years" (Megnin, 2013).

According to American Civil Liberties Union, their marriage was illegal in 12 states. Mildred a black woman and Richard a white man longed to see their family in Virginia and in 1963 Mildred wrote to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy explaining what happened to them and they had a case. Their case went to the Supreme Court and on June 12, 1967, the justices unanimously declared laws against interracial marriage