Dear President Obama,

As you well know, gay marriage is one of the most controversial issues of this decade.
Some people say that giving same-sex couples the right to marry and the benefits that go along
with marriage is wrong because marriage is between a man and a woman, that marriage is a
privilege, not a right, and that being homosexual is a sin against god and same-sex couples
should not be united in holy matrimony. However, marriage is an internationally recognized
human & civil right for all people, many religious leaders and churches support gay marriage
and say it is consistent with scripture and same-sex couples should have access to the same
benefits enjoyed by heterosexual married couples as protected by the US Constitutions
commitments to liberty and equality. For these reasons and many more, same-sex marriage
should be legalized in all 50 states.
Marriage is an internationally recognized human & civil right for all people. On May 21,
2012 the NAACP named same-sex marriage as one of the key civil rights struggles of our time
and in 1967 the Supreme Court unanimously confirmed marriage as one of the basic civil rights
of man. Wow! This has been an issue for 50 plus years! As an African-American man, you must
know stories of the struggles your ancestors went through during and before the civil rights
movement. I believe that not allowing same-sex couples to get married is the same thing as not
allowing black people to use the same drinking fountain or sit in the front of the bus. The bottom
line is that we are all human beings and regardless of skin color, gender, sexual orientation etc.
and we all deserve equal rights.
Secondly, one of the biggest arguments against legalizing same-sex marriage is that,
according to the Bible, homosexuality and therefore marriage between the same gender is
considered a sin. However, many religious leaders and churches support gay marriage and say
it is consistent with scripture. The Episcopal Church stated in 2006 that it opposes any state or
federal constitutional amendment that prohibits same-sex civil marriage in civil unions. The
Presbyterian Church and the United Church of Christ voted in June 2014 and July 2005,
respectively, to allow its pastors to marry same-sex couples. The Bible, being the most
translated book of all time, can also be interpreted in infinitely many ways, which is why there
are so many denominations that all profess themselves as Christian. In that sense, many
Christian denominations have turned what the Bible preaches into modern day terms because
ideas like not eating pig meat, trimming your beard, getting tattoos, remarrying after a divorce
and wearing gold are all considered sins in the bible but were adjusted to fit the modern-day life
that we live in. If someone says that gay marriage or homosexuality is wrong or a sin than you
can more than likely call them a hypocrite. Being a lifelong Christian myself, the biggest thing I
have learned from going to church is that God wants us to love EVERYBODY and never to hate
or discriminate against others just because they are different than you. I see banning same-sex
marriage as doing exactly that and am worried about what kind of message thats sending to
younger generations in regards to treating others with respect. Also, because marriage is a legal
contract, religion should have nothing to do with whether gay marriage is legal because state
and church are separate and Christianity isnt a part of the law.
Lastly, you might be wondering why it matters so much as to have the label married. To
answer your question, not only is marriage an agreement of lifelong loyalty through thick and
thin and a promise to love and cherish one another as long as they both shall live but there are
also certain benefits that come along with signing a marriage license. Some of these 1,138
important benefits are things like having access to family health coverage, inheritance rights if a

partner dies, the option of filing a joint tax return to reduce tax burden, US residency for partners
from another country, and the list goes on and on. President Obama, I know how long and how
hard youve worked to try and give affordable and quality healthcare to all citizens of this great
country we live in. My question to you, Mr. President, is dont same-sex couples count as
citizens of the United States? If your answer is yes, then why arent they allowed to enjoy these
benefits for example take advantage of family health care in case of an emergency. Gay and
lesbian couples are being treated as less than and not receiving the same rights as you and me
just because of the gender of the person that they fell in love with. According to the US District
Judge Vaughn Walker, banning gay marriage was unconstitutional under both the Due Process
and Equal Protection Clauses, exactly for the reasons that it restricts the life, liberty and pursuit
of happiness as shown by the deprivation of marital benefits.
The evidence is overwhelming: banning same-sex marriage is an obstruction of civil
rights, the idea that SSM is a sin and should not be legalized is inaccurate and should have
nothing to do with the law, and the government anyways, and that according to the United
States Constitution, restricting marriage between the same gender is unconstitutional and
deprives citizens of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness by not allowing them to receive
marital benefits or to be able to legally commit to their partner. For the reasons I have illustrated
above, and countless more, I urge you, as the leader of The United States to step forth and
make a change to this civil injustice by legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
Sincerely,
Addy Smith