When you’re walking down Main Street and see two men holding hands, what goes through your head? Or do you think anything at all? Are they just another couple to you, or do you get a little sick? I come from a family where being gay, lesbian, or bisexual is considered a very wrong thing. I’ve heard many times that seeing men together, or women together makes my mom’s stomach turn, makes my aunt cringe, make my father want to puke, but me, I’m different. People, gay lesbian, or bisexual, are just that. People. Are we not all human beings? Do we not all want the same things? Love. Happiness. Justice. Life. These couples are being persecuted by their fellow men because they’ve chosen a different style of living. This isn’t right.

Who gets to judge what love is? Who gets to say what’s right? A man who loves a man can love that man just as strongly as a man who loves his wife. Why can’t this man call his partner his husband if he loves him that strongly? To me, the idea that we are taking away this man’s right to marriage because he lives differently than most Americans is heartbreaking. Does our Constitution not promise everyone the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? If this man cannot be happy, if this man does not have the same unalienable rights as me and you, are we not going against the will of out founding fathers who built this country on the idea of justice and the people’s happiness? Are we not denying this gay couple something they are entitled to just as much as you and I are entitled to? My fellow men, please, step back and think about how you would feel if you were told you couldn’t marry the person you loved because you were a little different. I know you wouldn’t be happy. I know you would fight for your rights, so why can’t they?

I have a friend who was greatly affected by the unfair treatment of gays. She wasn’t gay herself, but one of her close friends took his own life after harsh ridicule. As he walked the halls, people would yell out, “Fag!” He couldn’t escape this anywhere he went. No one would accept him for who he was. He wasn’t just another boy, he was that gay boy down the street. He was that boy that mothers were scared to let their sons go near. Even though he was harmless, just a boy trying to lead a happy, normal life, he was hurt, everyday, by words and actions, and eventually, these words and actions that were constantly thrown his way, lead him to take his own life. Is this really what we want to happen to our fellow human beings? Do we really want to push them to a point of suicide? Are we really that cruel?

February 12, 2008, Lawrence King, who at the time was a 15 year old boy, was killed by one of his classmates because of his sexual orientation. He was killed because he was gay. Now, I think, whether we agree on the topic of gay marriage or not, whether you like the gay lifestyle or not, we can both come together and agree that what happened to this young man, this young eighth grade boy, is incredibly wrong and shows we are not doing near enough to teach our youth how to act and how to accept and how to be decent human beings. It shows we are not near tolerant enough to our fellow men who deserve the same rights to life as we do. Do you not agree with me on this? Do you not think that Lawrence King should still be living? Do you not think that it is completely and utterly monstrous to kill a young man because he chooses to live a lifestyle that is a little different than your’s?

People, please, think about your sons and your daughters. Think about your mothers and fathers. Think about your brothers, your sisters, your aunts and uncles, your cousins, and your friends. What would you do if they came to you today and told you they had decided to live a homosexual lifestyle? What if your sister brought home a girlfriend? What if your brother brought home a boyfriend? Would you not accept them? Would you love them any less? Now, imagine the homosexuals out there who are teased and taunted everyday because of how they choose to live their lives. Would you want that to happen to your loved ones? I don’t think you would. Now, imagine the family of Lawrence King, imagine my friends tears. Those tears came about because people didn’t know how to accept others for who they are, to love others for who they are. Are we that blind? Do we not see how our actions and words can so easily take a life?

April 16, 2010 is the 14th annual Day of Silence. This day people will take a vow of silence from sun up to sun down. This silence is symbolic of the homosexuals who keep their sexual orientation a secret because of fear of ridicule and teasing. It is symbolic of the hurt and pain so many homosexuals go through because their fellow human beings refuse to accept them for who they are. It is symbolic of the now eternal silence of the people who have been murdered, like Lawrence King, and the people who took their own lives because the intolerant nature of so many in our country. Take part in this day. Don’t speak in honor of those who are afraid to. Show them you care. You don’t have to be gay to do this. Do it for a gay loved one. Do it for Lawrence. Do it because you know that no one should be treated with any form of disrespect because they’re gay. Do it because you know it’s right. You can make a difference. You can change the world. It only takes one to start a revolution.