“Homosexual behavior has been observed in 1,500 animal species” including certain species of dolphins. The most well-known homosexual animal is the chimpanzee, “one of humanity's closest relatives”(1,500).Homophobia is only observed in one, humans. As of December 2012, 47 percent of Americans were opposed to gay marriage. Ten percent were indifferent or undecided. Currently, only five states and the District of Columbia allow gay marriage, while two states recognize the validity of an out-of-state gay marriage. It is both morally unacceptable and hypocritical to deny Gays the right to get married while claiming it is to defend the sanctity of marriage.
How can people claim marriage as sacred when there were over 2,000 divorces in South Dakota in 1998, which is the state that most strongly opposes gay marriage (U.S.)? People are just trying, and ultimately failing to defend their self righteous views on the world. This not only hampers basic rights, but denies United States’ citizens their pursuit of happiness. As stated in The Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent and inalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” (Declaration).To deny these men and women their ability to marry those that they love would be the same as me telling you that you cannot marry your wife regardless of how long you have been together.
	One defense of those against homosexual marriage is that being a homosexual is ‘wrong’ from a religious stand point. This approach does not really make sense without admitting slavery was right, considering that slave owners in the Deep South considered owning slaves righteous because of verses from The Holy Bible.The Holy Bible outright states in First Peter 2:18 “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.” The Bible was written thousands of years ago by men who knew a pittance of what we know now. Leviticus 19:27 says “Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.” That’s right,The Holy Bible tells you that it is a sin to shave. That is a direct command from God saying you cannot shave, to disobey god is to subject oneself to eternal damnation. On the topic of marriage however,The Holy Bible defines marriage as “First, the commitment of relationship (lifelong faithfulness) to each other.” Many marriages in our time violate this first requirement, yet the church continues to marry heterosexual couples.
Consider three couples: couple one consists of a man and woman who met three hours ago in Vegas and want to get married. This is completely sacred. Couple two is a man and a woman, the woman having been divorced four times over. Again for them to marry is considered completely sacred. Couple three consists of two men, having been together for twenty years. This is considered an atrocity by many. The institution of marriage is not the-be-all-end-all of love; love can easily exist beyond the scope of marriage. The very basis of marriage is love. Marriage is a legal contractthat grants rights for people who truly care about those they are with.
In conclusion, not allowing homosexuals to marry is a violation of the rights granted to them by the United States Constitution. The Constitution is the document from which our entire country is based off of and this is a direct affront to everything Americans hold sacred about their democracy.




Works Cited
“1,500 animal species practice homosexuality.” News Medical. 23 Oct. 2006. Web. 6 Feb. 2012.
“The Declaration of Independence: The Want, Will, and Hopes of the People” Independence Hall Association.Thomas Kindig. July 4th 1995. Web. 8 Feb. 2012.
“Gay Marriage Facts and Statistics.”The Gay Marriage Research Center.Dec. 2012. Web. 6 Feb.
	2012.
The Holy Bible.King James Version.1985. Print.
“Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage” Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage.Web. 6 Feb. 2012.
“U.S. Divorce Statistics.”DivorceMagazine.com. 2011.Web. 6 Feb. 2012.