Should same-sex marriage be legalized?

Decades have passed, yet this topic is still being debated even in schools, the media, and politics. Almost everyone has a say in this issue, but we haven’t come to an agreement up to this day. Many writers and journalists have repeatedly tried to bring this to light, yet many of us still won’t pay attention or even think of it.

The movement for same-sex marriage began between the 1980s and 1990s. People marched and held rallies to speak up for the rights of same-sex couples due to the AIDS epidemic. Some US states have taken action, such as Berkley, California, which became the first city to offer partnership benefits for gay employees in 1984. In 1989, Andrew Sullivan, a former editor of The New Republic, published an article advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in the US.

Despite the efforts of advocates and activists, the fight to legalize same-sex marriage is still a dead-end. When violence against gay people started to rise, they didn’t have the law on their side. They were forced to hide themselves to avoid being ganged up on the streets only for wanting to express themselves for who they really are.

In the following years, violence and harassment against gay people continued to rise in every part of the world. There was homophobia and violence on the streets, and who can say for sure that these people even felt safe inside their homes? The number of people who feel invalidated, invisible, and unheard just keeps on rising.

Every one of us has the right to choose who to love, without being questioned or hated for doing so. Since when did we gain the “power” to hinder a person from expressing their love to another freely? We may have different experiences, views, perspectives, and beliefs, but we are all just human beings who wish to experience unconditional love.

Ehla L. Lazarte