An Open Letter to Allies
Let’s take a turn to the hypothetical scenario that Obergefell v. Hodges were to be overturned. Not only would the LGBTQ+ community be affected, the entire country would be because same-sex marriage actually has positive impacts on the country.

First, according to Murray Lipp with the Huffington Post, marriage equality promotes non-discriminatory values because we are not putting one group of people above another. Imagine all of the people who are just figuring out who they are, trying to find their true selves, being told that their love is wrong. They then go into depression and lose hope because they now have to hide what they are feeling. Because of this, marriage equality also fosters psychological, physical, and social wellbeing.

Second, there would be a HUGE economic his to the marriage industry because they’d lose a portion of their income. This includes wedding planners, venue owners, bakers, and many many more.

Third, Lipp explains, and this one is a lot for some people to take in, it promotes TRUE religious freedom. I mean think about it, the constitution specifically states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Also, America is a melting pot of religions. So, how can we follow certain religions and deny rights based on what they say? Isn’t this going against everything that the first amendment stands for?

Fourth, if Obergefell v. Hodges were to be overturned, we risk our international reputation with the FIFTEEN countries who made same-sex marriage legal before the United States of America.

Fifth, and the most compelling for me, the adoption industry would take the biggest hit. According to Lifelong Adoptions, couples have to be in a legally recognized relationship to adopt a child, meaning that if Oberfefell v. Hodges was overturned, same-sex couples would not be able to adopt. This is scary because same-sex couples are FOUR TIMES more likely to adopt a child than different-sex couples. Actually, there are sixteen thousand adopted children living with same-sex couples in California alone. An estimated two million LGBTQ+ members are interested in adoption. How many children go unadopted if those people are not allowed to adopt a child?

These are only five benefits of marriage equality, but I guarantee if you search for more, you will find a plethora. So my question is when you look at these five examples of how same-sex marriage benefits our country, why would anyone question overturning Obergefell v. Hodges? Especially over bogus claims that it restricts religious freedom. I mean look at how it effects the adoption agency alone. Are we really going to allow our government to deny possibly millions of children a loving family?
['Chelsey Gold']
['Marriage Equality', 'Rights Issue', 'Supreme Court', 'Obergefell', 'LGBTQ']