Dear Close-Minded Straight Person,

I’m sure the recent news about The Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage in all 50 states has you feeling angry/stressed/scared/whatever negative emotion you correlate with the idea of someone marrying someone they love (who so happens to be of the same gender).

I just have one serious gut-wrenching question that might be super hard for you to answer, but I need you to take a deep breath, look me in the eye, and answer it. Okay, here it is:

Why?

Why does it bother you? I’m genuinely curious because every single thing I’ve heard people say about it doesn’t seem like a real reason.

Even worse, why are you putting forth all of this hatred and negativity? Why were you ever putting serious effort into stopping a human being from marrying another human being?

Some say “it’s not even real marriage,” “it offends God,” or – my favorite – “What's next? Marrying a dog?”

Let’s start with the fact that two people of the same gender getting married literally has no effect on you whatsoever. The only thing that will actually suck is that you won’t be invited to a kick-ass wedding because you’re not the kind of person they would want to be there. Go about your day as you normally would. Eat breakfast, go to work, watch TV, etc.

Then I hear things like, “It’s not even real marriage.” Wait, what? Yes it is. Two people are getting married. So, they will be legally recognized by the government as a married couple. If you happen to define marriage as a relationship that can reproduce, raise, and education children, then I guess we run into some problems. Two men or two women can’t reproduce on their own, so I guess we’re stuck. Darn.

So should we not let infertile men and women get married either? They can’t have children so that’s not a real marriage then either…. No, because it doesn’t make sense to deny any two people who love each other the right to marriage, especially because of their body's abilities or inabilities to reproduce.

Some others say, “it offends God.” Well, I understand that the Bible mentions a man leaving his father and mother to marry his wife. I also understand that he wanted us to be fruitful and to multiply. But, I also understand the Bible warned against marrying foreigners in Deuteronomy 7:3-4. The Bible also teaches women to be submissive and never to teach or assume authority over men in 1 Timothy 2. If we have evolved enough through time to understand and take these things with a grain of salt, then I think we can learn to look at this a little differently.

And in the end, would God create someone who is gay if he didn’t want him to be gay? No, because God has a plan for everyone – including men and women who identify with the LGBT community.

So I guess I still just want to know why two humans getting married bothers you. Maybe I’m too open-minded or maybe I’m a crazy college kid, but I know that life would be nothing without love. Nobody deserves to have that taken away from them. Not you, not me, and not anyone who fell in love with someone of the same sex. All I can possibly ask is for you to open your mind. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Treat everyone around you with love and compassion because we’re all looking for the same thing in the end.

Sincerely,

Someone who wants to see a change