Gay Marriage

While doing my research on the topic of gay marriage, I found some really interesting studies.

Here are some of the most intriguing facts that I found:

"Between 1969 and 1974, the number of gay organizations in the country swelled from fewer than 50 to nearly a thousand, as a result of the Stonewall Riots in which NYC police raided a gay bar, sparking days of protest."	This raises the question: what was happening before these years? As in, before there were gay rights activists and organizations? Surely homosexual people existed; was it so bad that these people were forced to keep quiet not only to protect their reputations, but to protect their lives?
"Hawaii recently became the 15th state to legalize same-sex marriage."	This is great news but, seriously? It’s 2013 and barely over a quarter of our states are recognizing and permitting this basic human right?
"The gay liberation movement achieved a victory in Dec. 1973 when the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder."	A mental disorder. I find it revolting that people were/are ignorant enough to consider something so natural as homosexuality to be a mental disorder.
"During the 1980s, news of the AIDS epidemic increased homophobia and discrimination but also encouraged the gay community to further organize."	So why do we sympathize with the millions of AIDS carriers in Africa?
"In 1983, Congressman Gerry Studds became the first openly gay Congressman, followed by Congressman Barney Frank in 1987."	Good news! :)
"On Sep. 21, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the federal Defense of Marriage Act into law which defined marriage at the federal level as between a man and a woman."	Setting aside the obvious association of Clinton with the “sanctity of marriage” ... I would call this the opposite of progress for this country.

I think a very important aspect of this image is the fact that 7 states have legalized gay marriage in 2013 alone. I consider this to be very good progress for our country and hopefully a bit of foreshadowing of what is to come.

The following are a few of my favorite images depicting gay marriage:

I find this image to be effective because the man is supposed to represent Jesus; and he's alluding to the idea that those who are against gay marriage for religious reasons may be misinterpreting what is written. How do we really know the Bible specifically means? (On a side note: should we really still follow the regulations of a book written thousands of years ago, in a society much different from our own?)

These two images are among the most comical concerning the issue, but I believe they each convey a powerful message.

Finally, I leave you with a popular song which gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.