November 9th, 2012

Mr. President
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
Northwest Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Almost all major religions consider homosexuality a sin, so is being lustful of your neighbor’s donkey. I am writing to you in order to voice my opinion on a vital topic that I think needs immediate attention. According to gaymarriage.procon.org, same-sex marriage is allowed in only eight states while thirty-one states have constitutional amendments banning it. Same-sex couples should have access to the same marriage benefits and public acknowledgment enjoyed by heterosexual couples. By prohibiting gay marriage you, Mr. President, are encouraging unconstitutional discrimination.

If two men or two women want to get married, they should have the right to; it’s as simple as that. Two people of the same sex who love one another should be allowed to publicly celebrate their commitment and receive the same benefits that opposite sex couples have received for hundreds of years. Denying same-sex couples this right to marry condemns gay and lesbian families as inferior and sends the message that it is acceptable to discriminate against them. It’s hard enough for same-sex couples to accept that society looks down on them, discrimination makes the burden heavier. Allowing same-sex couples to marry will give them access to basic rights such as hospital visitation during an illness, taxation and inheritance rights, access to family health coverage, and financial protection (in the event of the relationship ending). These are benefits that every human should have the right to. By taking these away we alienate them in a terrible way.

Gay marriage provides a multitude of undeniable benefits. Marriage will make it easier for same-sex couples to adopt children. In the US, over 100,000 children are waiting to be adopted according to balancedpolitics.org. We would have to worry less about finding loving parents for these children if same-sex couples could marry and therefore adopt children easier.

Society’s fear of same-sex marriage is an irrational one. It doesn't hurt society or anyone in particular, and it helps thousands. If the church disapproves, that's their right, but it isn't their right to stop it. By denying them this innate right, it is a violation of religious freedom. Civil and religious marriages are two separate institutions, and they are separate for a good reason. Religion has no place in government and certainly should not deprive thousands of men and women from their happiness. Please let these citizens enjoy the happiness that every other opposite-sex couple enjoys.

Sincerely,

Mitchell