Imagine you have fallen in love with the person of your dreams, and the two of you have discussed it and have decided to get married. Now imagine that the person you wish to marry is of a different race. It wouldn't be a big deal, right? Well, if this situation had occurred about 50 years ago, it would have been a huge deal. Just a generation ago, many states banned mixed marriages. Seems absurd, doesn't it? Discriminating against an individual like that because of the color of their skin? This is a situation in America that I am sure all of you are familiar with, and most all of us I am sure agree that just because a person has different colored skin does not make them any different on the inside. We don’t discriminate against minorities because of their color of their skin, so why is it that we now discriminate against gays and lesbians because of what is in their hearts? It is the same type of discrimination, and it needs to be stopped. How do we go about doing that, you ask? Don't worry, I am not going to be unrealistic and ask you to become a gay-rights activist and make supporters of all of your friends and family. I am just going to ask you to do your small part to help give homosexuals the ability to marry. It is unfair to deny them this right, and together we need to act in order to give them this right, this equality, that they deserve.As I have told you all in my last two speeches, there are legal rights and benefits that come with marriage that homosexuals are being denied. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, many of the benefits of marriage that homosexuals are denied include: government benefits like Social Security and Medicare; hospital visitation rights; special rates and exemptions on tax returns; joint child custody; joint insurance policies; automatic inheritance in the absence of a will; making medical decisions on a partner's behalf; and choo...
