I know that this has been a topic of discussion for years, but there is a lot of new hype surrounding it now that Obama has stated he supports gay marriage. Growing up in a conservative, church-going Southern family, homosexuality is a sensitive issue. This is kind of a long rant and it’s all over the place, but I would just love to get my point of view out there, as an open-minded Christian…

As a devoted follower of the Christian faith, I strongly believe that gays should have the right to be married. This is not an issue of religion. There is a reason church and state are separate. This is an issue of civil rights. In the 1960’s we went through a similar fight when the government declared that black people were not equals of white people, and now the government is saying that gay people are not equals of straight people. Why does the color of our skin or our sexual preference matter when it comes to our government? This is an issue that we thought was, and should have been, eradicated after the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s; equality for all US citizens. Doesn’t it say “liberty and justice for ALL” in our Pledge of Allegiance? Not “liberty and justice for white people” or “liberty and justice for straight people”. It infuriates me that this is even an issue having to be discussed.

And for those who say that they already have civil unions, and wonder why they still need a right to be married…civil unions do not extend the same rights as a marriage does. I do not see how this is “undermining the sanctity of marriage”, which is something I’ve heard several times from those who oppose gay marriage. If you don’t approve of homosexuality because of your faith, that is okay. That is your right to approve or disapprove whatever you want. But marriage, by its definition, is a legal contract uniting two people in kinship. A legal contract is part of the government, not religion. Though according to some faiths, like mine, marriage is a spiritual connection as well. But that is for those who believe in my faith and my God, it does not have to be for everyone else.

I don’t think basic human rights should be reserved for certain groups of people. God loves all of his children equally, why can’t we love all of our fellow humans equally? Isn’t that what we were called to do as followers of Christ? It’s stated plainly in the Bible. Mark 12:31. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than this.” Everyone sins. Don’t judge someone because they sin differently from you.