Wedding Bells Sound The Same

Cassandra Crislip – Photo Edior

The sound of church bells ringing during the joining of two loved ones at their wedding is but a dream to those who do not follow the societal norms of modern heterosexuality, but 2013 and 2014 have been big years for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) community.

The biggest news has been that 17 out 50 states have legalized same-sex marriage so far. Though many states may be harder to convince due to more conservative views, more and more states are jumping on the bandwagon and moving to legalize same-sex marriage.

Some Americans have the view that same-sex marriage is wrong, an abomination, and should be illegal. Are they wrong, or have they just not caught up to modern times?

Looking back to the 1960’s, there was a time when black American citizens did not have the right to marry outside of their own color. For them, or for any white American citizen, marrying outside of their race was wrong, an abomination, and illegal. Most black men who tried to fraternize or court a white woman would be beaten, arrested, or even hung. Due to the 1967 case of Loving vs. Virginia the supreme court ruled that prohibiting interracial marriage is unconstitutional. Will this happen for same-sex marriage in 2014?

With 17 states down, nine states are currently appealing to make gay marriage legal. This past month, Michigan had activity towards legalization. Unfortunately, following a ruling by US District Judge Bernard Friedman, Michigan still finds the state’s ban on gay marriage constitutional.

The battle for same-sex marriage started with Maryland in 1973 when they initiated the first ban on same sex marriage. Since then, the fight for equal rights of homosexual couples has long been in waiting.

May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriages, thus beginning the revolution of same-sex rights. A decade later and 16 additional states have joined in repealing the ban on same sex marriage including: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. Additionally, the capitol, Washington, D.C. has also repealed the ban. These states and the capitol legalized last year, 2013, leading the charge toward equal rights in same sex marriage.

Legalization of gay marriage is postponed in Utah, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Virginia, Texas, and Michigan, at least for now. Those states have all concluded that the ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and await the federal appeals court. Whether you are homosexual or heterosexual, transvestite, or just dipping your feet in the pool of questions of who you are, on the day of marriage all wedding bells sound the same. Love is Love.