Legalize Gay Marriage

I believe gay and lesbian individuals within the United States should be able to marry, and therefore have all the same rights as heterosexual couples, because the 11th amendment to the constitution of the United States forbids the twisting of constitutional rights in order to deny others their right. Also, the fact that federalism is being used as an excuse for the federal government to bow out of making a decision on this topic – marital rights are not delegated to the federal government within the constitution – is deplorable. To be sure this right is protected I will petition gay rights activism groups, and lobby the executive branch to institute a pro-gay marriage act nationwide. On the surface, the issue of gay marriage is a simple one: should homosexual couples be allowed to marriage as heterosexual couples? Once you dive deeper, however, it gets more complicated. Not only do you have pro-gay marriage activists versus anti-gay marriage activists, you have the church backing the anti-gay activists. Plus, with the federalist wrench thrown in – should the gay rights issue be delegated to the state governments or to the federal government – gay marriage is an incredibly complicated issue. There is also the argument made that by denying gays and lesbians their right to marriage they are also being denied their constitutional rights to the pursuit of happiness.

As stated, the 11th amendment states that “the enumeration in the constitution, of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” Given this argument, a state proclaimed gay marriage policy is a construction of federalism to deprive some United States citizens of their rights to the perusal of happiness.

In addition, former Vice President Dick Cheney is pro-gay marriage, saying he thinks “freedom means freedom for everyone”. I agree with his statement insofar that as long as every United States resident has the right to life, liberty ,and the pursuit