Are we equal yet?

California was one of the few states in which gay marriages are legal, and although I believe this should be the case across the US, it is only going downhill. With Proposition 8 passed, chances of this country moving forward in tolerance is minimal. Now, I do understand the belief of marriage being between a man and a woman. It is said that heterosexuals reproduce, and therefore are "natural." But this cannot be the only factor determining peoples' lives. When I think of a relationship being natural, it is natural because a person is naturally attracted to another person, but what about those naturally attracted to the same sex? Reproduction making something "natural" should not make a difference, whether or not people are legally married they will still have the same relationships, so why not. If someone interprets the bible as saying that homosexuality is bad, it shouldn't matter: the church and state are separated in this country, and this should not even be an argument. The truth is there should be no argument, because the Declaration of Independence tells us that that "All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The pursuit of happiness for many people includes marriage, no matter what their sexual orientation.

Recently Barack Obama was elected president and it seemed that we were finally making a real difference in our equality, the first black man was elected president. At the same time that we move forward with the elimination of racism, we are moving backwards with gay rights. The picture above is from a protest against proposition 8 (they were held all over the country). The man holds a sign saying that we all are one, but are we treated like that? Too recently, blacks and women could not vote. Were we equal then? What about when schools and public places were separate yet equal, are we all one then? And are we all one when people only have the right to marriage based on their sexual orientation? How can the government say that we are all equal, we are all one, when there is still so much discrimination? If our country's government can truly preach that we are all equal under the Declaration of Independence, passing this bill is complete hypocrisy. So basically I have to ask those opposed to homosexual marriage one thing: why do you care? If you don't approve of gay marriages, don't get one, but let those who it actually effects have the same rights to marriage as you do. All people want marriage for the same reasons, and your sexual preference should not matter. If we are all equal under the law, shouldn't we have the same rights without discrimination as well? With this bill being passed, we need the government to prove that we are all equal.