I think every little girl dreams of her wedding - getting married to the person she loves with all her heart and soul. The boys take a little bit longer to come around, but they too eventually dream of sharing the rest of their life with the one they love. But what if the government tells you that your dream can't come true? What if the United States tells you that love or not, you are not allowed to marry the person you love?

The first amendment on the Bill of Rights states, in part, that, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ... " This means first of all, any one saying that gay marriage is "unbiblical" has NO LEGAL GROUND. Our constitution gives us freedom of religion and separation of church and state! And if your faith will allow you to get married, the government can't stop you!

America - You've been wrong before! Women and blacks were at one point treated like second-class citizens. Women were thought to have little intelligence and blacks were good for nothing more than slave labor. But, see, America - you were wrong! In 1865, there was an amendment to the Bill of Rights! The 13th amendment abolished slavery! Passed in 1869, the 15th amendment gave all men the right to vote, regardless of race. Women gained the right to vote with the passing of the 19th amendment in 1920. And in 1954, the Jim Crow, or Separate but Equal laws, were declared unconstitutional by Brown vs. Board of Education. (The United States Constitution can be viewed here). America was wrong, and we made it right! Its time to do the same for gays and lesbians.

Our fellow citizens failed us in 2004 by electing George Bush as our president. He ran our country amuck for four years and we decided to give him four more? I have a hard time understanding how someone can support a "Defense of Marriage Law" ...I always thought marriage was supposed to be about love. We're not making this about love - we're making it about sex! The romantic love of one human being for another is the same whether its male/male, female/female, or male/female. The differences are in the bedroom!

Not that our other option was perfect, but at least John Kerry would have supported a "civil union" between two women or two men, but not marriage. But still .... let's see here ... didn't Brown vs. Board of Education declare Separate but Equal UNCONSTITUTIONAL way back in 1954?

A man and a woman get married. The husband becomes deathly ill and is hospitalized for a long period of time. His wife, sick with worry, takes FMLA (Family Medical Leave of Absence). Her husband falls under the guidelines given for taking this leave: "To care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition (Source: U.S. Department of Labor) This is a right given by our government and in this case, pertains to married couples. If this man and woman were simply living together, FMLA would not apply, as they would not be considered related. Now, if two men fall in love and have been together - 2 years, 20 years ... even 50 years. One of them has cancer and the doctor tells the couple that one of them has 6 months to live. They're not "related". They're "not family" and therefore, no FMLA is possible for them.

There are rights that "straight" people in "traditional" marraiges take for granted, the above being one of them. Others include:

• file joint income tax returns with the IRS and state taxing authorities
• create a "family partnership" under federal tax laws, which allows you to
• divide business income among family members (this will often lower the total tax on the income)
• create a marital life estate trust (this type of trust is discussed in Chapter 9 of Nolo's Everyday Law Book)
• receive spouses and dependents Social Security, disability, unemployment, veterans', pension and public assistance benefits
• receive a share of your deceased spouse's estate under intestate succession laws
• claim an estate tax marital deduction
• sue a third person for wrongful death and loss of consortium
• sue a third person for offenses that interfere with the success of your marriage, such as alienation of affection and criminal conversation (these lawsuits are available in only a few states)
• receive family rates for insurance
• avoid the deportation of a non-citizen spouse
• enter hospital intensive care units, jails and other places where visitors are restricted to immediate family
• live in neighborhoods zoned for "families only"
• make medical decisions about your spouse in the event of disability, and
• claim the marital communications privilege, which means a court can't force you to disclose the contents of confidential communications between you and your spouse during your marriage.

To all of you that oppose gay marriage, I urge you - WAKE UP! This is not about the downfall of society. It is not about the downfall of religion or morals. It is not anyone asking you to watch what happens behind anyone's bedroom door. It is about BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS and allowing all consenting adults to marry the person they love, be it a man and a woman, or two women or two men.

• A President who will support equal rights for all United States citizens, regardless of sexual orientation.
  
• A President who will not try to patronize us by offering "civil unions" for same sex couples, but will realize that separate but equal is rarely, if ever, equal.
  
• Citizens who will use their right to VOTE! Keep your eye on politics, especially this year, especially until November when we'll elect a new president. Find out which candidates support human rights!
  
• To use our voices and to educate others about what same sex marriage means - equal rights, the right to a family and the same pursuit of happiness that "traditional" couples have.
  
• Government officials that will realize that yes - America has been wrong before! And we changed it! This too can change.
  
• To live in a country that no longer will have to distinguish between "gay marriage" and "traditional marriage" because these unions will be equal in the eyes of society as well as the law.