It’s a topic long-debated, for no real reason. It’s a simple question: should homosexuals be allowed to marry? However, this simple question has spawned a plethora of debates, protests, and judgments, even though it is only a matter of yes and no.

I, personally, do not believe that marriage should just be limited to the union between a man and a woman.

Let’s define it first. What makes a person gay, bisexual, or straight? It all boils down to a base sexual attraction. A straight person will naturally find a potential partner in the opposite sex, a gay person in the same sex, and a bisexual in both sexes (to varying degrees). Is being straight an option? Is being gay an option? Is being bisexual an option? If a straight person asks himself or herself the question “Will I ever find the same gender sexually attractive?”, the answer is easily no. Believe it or not, it’s the exact same case for a homosexual. It’s not a matter of “wanting”, it’s a matter of not being able to imagine it any other way. Just as a heterosexual holds no physical attraction to a person of the same gender, a homosexual holds no physical attraction toward the opposite. A bisexual simply holds attraction to both genders; not because they choose to, but because their body reacts that way. There is no reason besides that. That is why homosexuality is no more a choice that heterosexuality is. To sum it all up, sexuality is defined by physical attraction, and whoever says that homosexuality is a choice, is, I’m sorry to say, nuts.

Now that we’ve taken care of that issue, let’s move onto the next one. Religion should have no say in whether homosexuals are allowed to marry or not, namely because of the fact that their argument is that “it is a sin against God”. May I remind you, it is also a sin to believe in gods other than the one God of the Bible, and I see no turmoil over making Christianity or Catholicism or whatever the only religion someone is allowed to believe in. The question is not “is same-sex marriage moral?”, it is “should same-sex marriage be allowed?”. Especially when it concerns religion, morals are different for everyone. Of course, there are universal morals like “no murdering”, or “no stealing”, but there also some morals and restrictions that apply only to a particular religion. Homosexuality is one such restriction. Because there is a separation of church and state, religion should not be able to play a part in the decision of legalizing same-sex marriage.

The third issue: now that religion is out of the way, what else can be used to make a stand against same-sex marriage? The answer is fairly pitiful. Marriage, they say, was originally for the purpose of procreation. Aside from the fact that there is overpopulation, and that people can have children without being married anyway, there is also quite a large number of married couples that simply don’t have children, or are not planning to have children. There are also other arguments, of course, but due to word count constraints, I will attempt to refute all other views with the fact that the Constitution permits all citizens to the “pursuit of happiness”, something that is denied to a homosexual couple because they are not permitted to marry.

“The pursuit of happiness,” you sneer. “Perhaps we should allow pedophiles to molest children, or psychopaths to carve up people, because then they’ll be pursuing happiness too, right?” Wrong. Things are outlawed because they are a danger to society and people. How, in any way, is homosexuality a crime? Being a homosexual does not mean you are more likely to commit murder, rape, or, the most common stereotype, adultery. A homosexual just wants to lead a normal life, have a normal relationship, and be married normally, just like anyone else. Why is that wrong?

In conclusion, there is no good reason to withhold the right of marriage from any group of people, including homosexuals. Despite the clear evidence and unfailing logic laid out in front of them however, ignorant people still insist that same-sex marriage should not be legal.

And that’s a sad thing, because society is supposed to be so much more enlightened than it used to be.