This Weeks Staff Editorial:The Equal Right to Wed

"I do." These are the words many of us today have heard and those
(heterosexual couples to be precise) who want to be married are waiting
to utter. Then what is this commotion when a couple, either of men or
women, want to tie the knot?

The question boils down to: Who are we to steal away from our fellow members of society this moment, this feeling, this chance to marry the person they love the most? Domestic partnership is a viable option to this issue but then again another question pops up. Are we to completely abandon this concept of "marriage" and all previously married couples become "domestic partners" to maintain uniformity and equal opportunity to all American citizens? Homosexuals are a growing minority today. Throwing away all judgmental labels, they remain American and furthermore - human.

According to the United States Constitution, all people have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, thus giving them the legal right to choose to pursue that happiness through marriage.

Recently a California Superior Court judge, Richard Kramer,
overthrew the ban on recognizing gay marriages conducted in other states of America, a step long overdue. It does not seem long before the
entire nation will have to embrace gay marriages, whether they like it
or not. President George W. Bush's attempts on banning gay marriages are soon going to be a thing of the past. As each day passes more and more people are realizing the difference gay marriages will have on our society- no difference. That's right - no difference. Yes, so we see two men kissing each other across the street and maybe a couple

of women walking through the park holding hands, but how is that different from what many people see today on television or in most American cities? How gay marriages will demean the marriages of millions of people remains unclear.

Marriage is a contractbetween two consenting parties - although the state can choose to sanction the contract between two homosexuals or not, that does not affect or have any bearing on the state's acknowledgment of a contract between a heterosexual couple, which is a separate agreement. Recent studies have shown that almost half of U.S. marriages end in divorce.

Viewing the institution of marriage as it is today, many assumedto- be-heterosexual couples are not honoring their vows of "until death do us part." It is a sad truth that some homosexuals go so far as to "marry straight" in order to lead a more "normal" life, and then get divorced when they acknowledge whom they really are.

Even if it were legal, homosexual couples who wish to marry would need
to consider the social consequences for even daring to announce their
intention to wed. They would need to considerthe consequences more deeply than most (especially more deeply than many Hollywood celebrities, such as Britney Spears), and so perhaps would make a more careful choice in their decision.

If gay marriage were legalized, perhaps more homosexuals would
feel more comfortable and accepted by society and not hide from their
own sexualities in sham, loveless marriages. This could lead to a lower
rate of divorce for the population as a whole.

It seems gay marriage will only make this institution stronger and would be the best thing that happened to thousands of people.