Changes is Same Sex Marriage Laws

The topic of Same Sex Marriage is one that has been debated for several years. Currently, according the Economist, “in 78 countries—mostly in the Muslim world, Africa and other developing states- being gay is still a crime, punishable by long prison terms and even death.” The reason that many people are often against Sam Sex Marriage is because of religion.

While in some areas Same Sex Marriage is seen as a punishable offense a lot has changed in others. According to the Economist, “Same-sex marriage is now legal nationwide in 11 countries, including Argentina, South Africa, and North America.” The hope is that more countries will follow in the footsteps on these countries.

Sadly this is not always the case and students/adults are often bullied for being gay. Matthew Shepard is a perfect example of the negative impact hate and bias can have on a society. On October 7th 1998, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson abducted Matthew Shepard a young homosexual male. The two men tied him to a fence and brutally beat him with a pistol simply due to the fact that he was gay. Matthew Shepard died that night. His death resulted in the passing of the “Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a federal law against bias crimes directed at lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered people” (Matthew Shepard Foundation).

Matthews story should be a lesson for us all. To be tolerant of each other’s differences. So many states have countries/states have passed Same Sex Marriage laws since this tragic event. Let us all treat each other as equals and while we might not directly be able to change the laws, let us learn from past mistakes. Being open-minded and tolerant of others differences will help us to Save the World!