The fight to legalize gay marriage has won many battles in recent years. It has become available in Canada, England, New Zealand, and here in the United States it is now legal in 13 states (religioustolerence.org). Gay couples have become more prominently accepted in modern society, appearing on popular television shows such as “Modern Family” and “The New Normal.” Gay marriage is also the inspiration for popular songs like "Same Love" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Even though same-sex couples are more commonly accepted, there are still conservative and religious leaders who remain against it. It is precisely this opposition that has prevented gay marriage from becoming legal in most of the country. Gays and lesbians are Americans like everyone else and deserve the same rights. Discrimination against a minority is supposed to be against the law, but somehow it still manages to exist for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. Preventing same-sex couples from marrying not only means denying them civil rights, but also discriminating against their innocent family members. Gay marriage is just another obstacle for Americans to overcome in their quest for freedom and equality. Gays and lesbians are not the first Americans to be denied civil rights. Women and interracial couples have also been denied equal marriage rights for many years. In the beginning, women had little say in who and when to marry. Their marriages were arranged by their fathers or the eldest male guardian. These marriages had little to do with love and more to do with social status or what could be gained from the union. Kings married their daughters to neighboring kingdoms to form alliances; poor families with a beautiful daughter would have...... middle of paper ......ks Quoted"The Constitution of the United States: Amendments 11-27." The United States Constitution: Amendments 11-27. . 06 December 2013. Web"Facts and statistics". Ccainstitute.org July 2012. . December 06, 2013.WebPappas, Stephanie. “Why Gay Parents Can Be the Best Parents.” Livescience.com. Np, 15 November 2012.< http://www.livescience.com/17913-advantages-gay-parents.html> 06 December 2013.Web"Predictions of various groups and individuals on the future of same-sex marriage (SSM ) in the United States" Religioustolerence.org.Np,nd July 2013. 08 December 2013. WebSnyder, R. Claire. Gay marriage and democracy: equality for all. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. Print