by Genenda Milloy

Created on: May 29, 2008

For quite some time, the world has had the notion that people should marry others who are like them. In today's world, we look back at times in history that were filled with injustice. These were times when a black man could be lynched for looking at a white woman with even an imagined glint of lust in his eyes. Today, homosexuals are often subject to hate crimes, because they are considered different in the same way that people of color were once considered different.

By denying homosexuals the right to marriage, they are being oppressed. If a person were denied a job based on race or gender, he or she would have grounds to take legal action for discrimination. Homosexuals should be permitted the same legal rights as heterosexuals, whether in the workplace, or in their personal lives.

Our nation is founded on the right to religious freedom, and yet religion is often how people justify the prohibition of gay marriage. It would be unconstitutional to make gay marriage illegal, when the only reason people can give for the ban is immorality. Why do they believe it is immoral? The Bible says so. I am in no way insulting Christianity, as I am a Christian myself, but I also believe that mere humans do not have the right to judge others. I believe that we are all sinners, and that God will weigh each person individually. I believe that a homosexual who accepts others is more likely to reach Heaven than a heterosexual who tries to act as God by judging others in His name or uses Him as an excuse to treat others poorly.

Yes, my views of homosexuality in religion may not be exactly what I was taught in Sunday school, but this is America, and our country was founded on the basis that I have the right to believe what I want to believe. However, there is no stipulation in the U.S. Constitution which says that homosexuals are denied these rights. All men are created equal. Not just those who fit mainstream society.

California is a leader in acceptance. I can only hope that the rest of the nation will follow. I believe that California will represent to homosexuals what the north once represented to the south- equality. Remember that in the early days of our nation's history, African-Americans were treated as less than human. Today, homosexuals are treated with the same prejudice. One day, the nation will look back at California, this leader in human rights, with the same appreciation that we now have of northern states that would not permit slavery. It may take time, just as the civil rights movement took time, but one day we will see that everyone deserves the same rights.

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