About 75% of the population would agree that homosexuals deserve to have equal rights in housing, jobs, government benefits, public accommodations, etc. One could ask anyone about any of the above situations, and yes, they would agree that there is no question of equality. Then, comes the topic of gay marriage. This is when the social belief of ‘equality’ turns into a moral belief. You hear, read, and find so many quotes and sayings that state, “Love does not have boundaries” or “You can find love anywhere.” Why does gay marriage get treated differently?

First and foremost, many people that oppose gay marriage are against it because they believe that ‘marriage is an institution between a man and a woman and this couple is supposed to have children.’ Being the most often heard argument, it is also the weakest. Who defines marriage? The people who are married? The people who want to get married? Synonymous with a banker choosing who owns the money in his vaults, society does not define marriage, but does place stereotypes upon it. If society cannot find a valid reason to deny gay marriage, it should not be denied. Also, if homosexuals cannot be married because of the fact that they cannot produce children, that would be like saying a heterosexual couple who is infertile cannot get married. The world, especially America, would be in an equality uproar if heterosexual couples who are infertile were made to ‘surrender their wedding rings’. Likewise, it just goes to show that society blindly follows beliefs because they seem true without actually researching a compelling argument.

However, it is also said that gay marriages are viewed as ‘immoral and it violates the sacred institution between a man and a woman.’ This statement comes from none other than the Bible, yet freedom of religion is prevalent throughout America. If humans are allowed to have freedom of religion, they should also be allowed to have freedom from religion. Along with this, the government has nothing to do with religion and has no standing in American law. Therefore, the government cannot impose any rules because ‘the Bible says so.’ For example, the Buddhist philosophy celebrates gay marriage and believes they should be legal. In this country, their religious beliefs are being tried upon, so if one believes in religious freedom, they have no argument against gay marriage due to religious arguments.

Likewise, gay marriage is portrayed as something that ‘threatens a tradition from the dawn of time.” Since when has America, especially, stuck by any tradition? Slavery was an institutionalized tradition that dated back to the beginnings of human history, but by the late 19th century the country had realized the evils it entailed. Tradition, nowadays, is more or less dead. It had been a tradition to not allow women to vote, but in the early 20th century, tradition changed. It had been a recurring instance to not have a black President, but in 2008, tradition changed. Clearly, America does not have a problem altering tradition.

For years, it has been believed that if gay marriage was legal, it would be promoted in public schools and would therefore undermine western civilization. Other than being a completely ignorant statement, gay marriage is legal in some states and countries, but there is no evidence of it being promoted in their public schools. What these schools try to promote is the tolerance of homosexuals, not the actual marriage aspect. Without tolerance, there is ignorance and a complete disregard of anyone else’s opinions. Also, the ‘undermining of western civilization’ is an utter contradictory statement, because homosexuality has been a part of civilization since history started. If the world has gone on just fine with it since the beginning of time, civilization would not start changing now. Along with this, gay marriage, like any other marriage, is about love, acceptance, and commitment. The promotion of these values would not degrade civilization, but raise it up. Although gay marriage is not completely legal in America, it has been legal in Europe and Canada for years, yet their society is not crumbling before them.

Moral of the story, the arguments against gay marriage do not have valid statements to support them. Society blindly follows what they have been told for years without actually researching the facts to materialize their beliefs. If one thinks about the arguments against gay marriage because of tradition, they are easily thrown out when pit against the light of reason. Mainly, society needs to rationalize some of their ignorant beliefs and realize how prevalent Thomas Jefferson’s words were when he said, “All men are created equal.”