State acceptance painfully slow
Recently, the state of Washington passed a bill that legalized same-sex marriage. Currently, New Jersey has a similar bill going through the legislation process, already passing its Senate. Legal marriage for same-sex couples has been a controversial issue for a while now, but state governments are slowly creating legislation to dismiss the discrimination.
It’s important to note that these new legislations pertain to civil rights. Denying a couple marriage based on sexual orientation is a form of discrimination, just like other civil rights issues in the past. This issue should be adjusted and taken just as seriously as other civil right issues have been.
While some states are moving toward this change, others still are not. This Valentine’s Day, many gay and lesbian couples lined up at the Bexar County Courthouse in San Antonio, Texas, to be married. Unfortunately, those marriages will not be recognized as same-sex marriage is not legal in that state.
The couples that participated in these marriages ignored the legality of the situation and focused on practicing a symbolic act of love in honor of the holiday.
It’s important for citizens to realize that despite different ideologies, equality is what matters. If an opposite-sex couple has the legal right to be married, same-sex couples should as well. The fact that more states are producing legislation to legalize same-sex marriage shows growth and improvement for our country. Hopefully other states will catch up; until then, the fight for same-sex marriage will remain prevalent.