FREE TO BE YOU

Free to be you

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Why is it so hard for people to except change? Same sex partnerships are all over the place. Who are we to tell people who they can and cannot love? I support letting people live happy and if they want to be in a same sex relationship then that is their business. I will support the gay and lesbian marriages. Everyone should be able to be who they are and be happy with their choice. It is stated in the bible that a relationship is between a man and a woman. Well, it is also stated that we are all Christians and that we are to do not undo others what you do not want others to undo you. Look in the mirror, who says your way is right? I believe that all people are created equal and deserve to be happy. To me, we are treating the gay and lesbians as we did the African-Americans; the only difference is that we are not putting them into slavery. Our country needs to focus on other issues and leave people alone that are just trying to be happy in the world today. We should be proud that people are standing strong for what they believe in. Instead, we talk trash about them and I ask why? Is it because you are afraid of the unknown? I have asked a few people about gays in the military and why is it such a big deal. If we have people that are willing to serve for our country, does it really matter if they are gay or straight? I would not think so, but the responses I received where shocking. One response was it is because they live in such close quarters. Just because someone is gay, does not mean that they want to be gay with you (get over yourself). Gay people are not out to rape you; you will not turn gay by being in the same room or being friends. I can only think people react like this is because it is the fear of the unknown. More and more states are recognizing same sex unions and marriages. As of January 2013, there are nine states have legalized same-sex marriage: Connecticut, Iowa, Maine,

FREE TO BE YOU

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Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Washington; as well as the District of Columbia and two Native American tribes. In the 1970s, there were movements obtain marriage rights and benefits for same-sex couples in the United. Now here we are in the 21st century and the support for same sex rights has grown considerably. On May 9, 2012, Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to publicly declare support for the legalization of same-sex marriage (n.d). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Same-sex_marriage In the 2012 elections, Maine, Maryland, and Washington were the first states to have state voters for the first time approved same-sex marriage by the popular vote. Minnesota became this second state in the 2012 election to reject a statewide constitutional ban against same-sex marriage by popular vote. I have attached a map that shows laws regarding same-sex partnerships in the United States. It has been discussed that same-sex couples can face some challenges financially that partially shields opposite-sex couples. Here are a few that are known: • Legal costs that goes hand-in-hand for legal marriage, including power of attorney, health care decisions, and inheritances.

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A legal spouse (a union between a man and woman) can inherit an money from the deceased partner without incurring an estate tax but a same-sex partner would end up paying the estate tax their same-sex partner.

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Same-sex couples cannot file jointly as a married couple, which is a disadvantage of being able to use lower tax rates when one income differs significantly from the others.

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Only about 18% of companies offer domestic partners health care benefits. Taxation of same-sex spouse health insurance benefits when provided by an employer, unlike like benefits provided to a heterosexual couple (n.d). Retrieved from