As a child, I went to a surprising amount of weddings.  There was one for my cousin, one for my uncle Seamus, one for my parent’s friends Kato and Mike, and one for my parent’s friends Lisa and Zoe.  The wedding between Lisa and Zoe was the second wedding I went to, but the first that I really remember.  It was definitely the wedding where I had the most fun, and I am positive that that wasn’t because the wedding was at Zoe’s relative’s huge beach house on Cape Cod.  However, I assure you, that was quite an addition to the experience!  I remember when my parents first told me about the wedding.  I had known Lisa and Zoe because Lisa was a principal and Zoe was a guidance counselor at the same school.  Being very young, (I think I was about 6)  I had never heard of two women getting married.  I don’t think I saw anything wrong with it, I was just very confused because it was new to me.  I remember that my mom explained it to me perfectly by saying simply that they had fallen in love.  Then I was totally onboard with it.  Knowing that they really did love each other and seeing how they are still together today was really nice to hear, and I am glad I was there when they were first married.  Marriage equality should have always been a part of The United States of America, because we call ourselves the “home of the free”.  I support the cause for marriage equality in all fifty states, and I believe that the people of America have to wake up and figure out what really makes this nation free.

  I have taken a lot of insults from some pretty ignorant people about my position.  I am a completely heterosexual male, and that is why I want to get my voice out to show that people like me show our support for all people of different sexual orientations too!  There are many people, including close friends, who agree with me and also support the cause.  With friends I have gone to events like the GLSEN (Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network) conference in Boston, and I played with my funk band at their concert, where they had keynote speakers all sharing their stories about their lives and sometimes the people they’ve met.  These stories were another deeply moving event in my life in this regard, and only made my position firmer and my resolve to make the situation better, stronger.

The United States of America needs to wake up to marriage equality.  We live in a democratic country that has freedoms that some countries wouldn’t dream of, and yet some of us look down on others because of who they love.  Every single individual should be free to love without fear of being judged.  We live in a country that advertises its freedom, but doesn’t fully extend it domestically.  I feel marriage is a right to all people, where the only factor is love.  Marriage has been happening for centuries, possibly millennia in some form, and should be shared between not just genders, but people who love each other.  If people are in love, there is no reason to deny them the right to marriage, regardless of if it is a heterosexual or homosexual relationship.  Every pair who is in love should be able to signify that with the highest form of commitment.  When I am older, and maybe have more of a voice in the world, I really want to help fight for marriage equality in all fifty states.  There are some who sling mud and are intolerant but none of them really even understand or have any factual counterpoints.  I just think that no matter who you are, you should be allowed to share your life with the person you love, without being oppressed.

  This situation has shown to me that freedom and equality are rights that everyone deserves and that should be universally acknowledged.  I always knew that America was the “land of the free and the home of the brave”, where under our flag we have “liberty and justice for all”, but when I began to realize that not quite everyone has these rights allowed to them.  I believe that these rights are for every man and woman, and I want to fight for everyone’s chance for equal happiness.