Prop 8. Soundoff.

What if you couldn’t marry the one person in the world that you loved because people thought that it was wrong, even if it didn’t directly affect them? People might say that there is nothing wrong with getting married, as long as those two people are in love and happy about spending the rest of their lives together. The truth is that people fall in love, every minute and every hour of every day, no matter the circumstances. Love is real, it’s consuming and it’s beautiful—so if two people, male or female, black or white, gay or straight, are in love—what does it matter if they’re married or not?
Proposition 8 was a ballot proposition that changed state law in California to restrict marriage as a union between male and a female, and to eliminate the right for same-sex couples to marry. During the November election, many people came out in support of the proposition, stating that marriage only be between a man and a woman, and that children would be at risk of being taught in schools that same-sex marriages are “acceptable.” Conservatives and religious groups alike raised large sums of money to show their support for Yes on Proposition 8, regardless of the fact that the same-sex marriages did not directly affect their lives in any way.
Prop. 8 opponents were adamant that children in public schools would not be taught about same-sex marriage as a part of their regular education. In fact, opponents of the proposition, including NoOn8.com, stated that no matter what you believe, equality should be for all, no matter what.
In the end, yes on proposition 8 was passed and put into effect immediately, on the day following the election.
Over the years, the United States has seen quite a few changes on what marriages it will deem “acceptable” in society. It wasn’t that long ago when men and women of different ethnicities were not allowed to marry, even if they were in love. In fact, in the days of the civil rights movement, if a black man even took a second look at a white woman, he would undoubtedly be hanged. In today’s society, interracial couples and marriages are seen as second nature—as a different way of life. Marrying someone outside your own race has become, for the most part, “acceptable.”
It seems as though people have forgotten that love between two consenting adults should hold no boundaries, simply because someone else feels as though it’s unacceptable or wrong. People come in all different shapes, sizes and colors. We come from many different backgrounds and beliefs, but when it’s all said and done, we are all simply human. We all long for love and acceptance among our peers. As humans, we want to be loved, no matter what. We need the love and support of others, otherwise we would be empty. It is impossible not to learn how to assimilate and live amongst one another as civilized people. To limit the rights of others, no matter your personal beliefs, is simply unfair and wrong.
I strongly believe that same-sex marriage should be legal, not just in the state of California, but in the United States. Why? Because we are all just people, we are all human, and we should all be allowed the same rights. What makes one couple’s love and affection for each other less than another? Absolutely nothing. Who should decide if two people, no matter their sexual preference, should marry? No one. If it doesn’t directly affect anyone in their personal lives and in their own marriages, what is so wrong about it? Love has no boundaries, no color and more importantly, no gender. It’s a shame that more people are not willing to look past their own selfishness and see this law for what it really is—discriminatory and wrong.