Alex

= Marriage: Love is Love =

//[|Alex McMayon] is an active dual credit senior at [|Eldorado High School] and is involved in the National Honor Society and Student Council.// February 14, 2013

Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and Washington all have one thing in common – they have legalized same-sex marriage. Eleven countries – the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Spain, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Argentina, Iceland, and Portugal – have also legalized same-sex marriage. If there are places in the world that accept same-sex marriage, why can’t the rest of America accept it? Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote “The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness”. The pursuit of happiness is a natural right that is protected by our Bill of Rights, which is why there should be an amendment to the Constitution that allows for same-sex marriages. Right now, the [|American Civil Liberties Union] Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (ACLU-LGBT) Project is trying to rid America of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The ACLU-LGBT is trying to gain full recognition of same-sex marriages on a federal level across the entire United States. They believe that LGBT people should be allowed to build their own relationships and be able to get married without discrimination. Not allowing LGBT people to marry is discrimination against sexuality. They are human too and deserve to have the same rights as everyone else. There is a common argument about marriage and how it is for a man and woman to reproduce. People feel that since LGBT’s cannot reproduce in a same-sex marriage, they shouldn't be allowed to marry. However, there are infertile couples in this world that got married and will never be able to reproduce. These couples aren't denied marriage because they cannot reproduce, and it should be the same way with LGBT’s.  Bringing another point to light, the debate over whether same-sex couples should be able to marry is almost the same as the historic debate over whether interracial couples should be able to marry. In both situations, couples were being discriminated against and denied equality when it came to being able to marry. Nathan Grant wrote in an article for the [|Bangor Daily News]  saying that “some of the same arguments used against same-sex couples today justified denying couples of different races from marrying then. People said it was an abomination, that it would degrade society and that blacks and whites were just too different”. Today they are using the very same arguments; the only difference is the discrimination against race versus the discrimination against sexuality. Also, when referring back to the 14th amendment, it says that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”. This means that a State cannot discriminate against same-sex couples because they would be denying them the privilege to marry. Marriage shouldn't be about one man and one woman reproducing; it should be about two people sharing their love for each other. Marriage is essentially viewed as a pursuit of happiness and should be available to everyone. Same-sex couples want to get married for the same reasons that everyone else does. They are in love, want commitment and the solid legal recognition and benefits that only marriage provides. Love is love and everyone should have the right to express their feeling through marriage no matter their sexuality.

 Should there be a constitutional amendment that allows gays and lesbians to legally marry? ||  || A senior student at [|Eldorado High School].
 * == The Pursuit of Happiness:Gay and Lesbian Marriage ==
 * **DEBATERS:** ||  ||
 * == Moving Forward to Gay Marriage ==

|| || ||  || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">A dual credit senior at [|Eldorado High School].
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 1.3em; line-height: 1.5; text-align: center;">It's a Traditon, Why Change It? ** A member of the National Honor Society at [|Eldorado High school].
 * == <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">The Forgotten Commandment ==

|| || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> A dual credit and honors student at [|Eldorado High School]. || || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">A senior at [|Eldorado High School]. || || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">A student at [|Eldorado High School].
 * == <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Gay Marriage is An Abomination ==
 * == <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Broken Pursuit of Happiness ==
 * == <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Where's the emotion in marriage? ==

|| || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> A senior at [|Eldorado High School]. || ||
 * == <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">A Narrow Minded Nation ==