Marriage Equality: The U.S. needs to set an example.

The most shocking thing about Marriage Equality is that we are still fighting for it. Legalization of same sex marriage has come a long way in the past 15 years, both in the United States and across the world, growing momentum with each passing year. It’s still not enough. LGBTQ individuals who live in countries where they are not allowed to marry can face obstacles ranging from a violation of their civil rights to a punishment of death for being who they are. Just this week in Kenya, where being gay is illegal, a newspaper published the names and pictures of a number of LGBT individuals, thereby endangering lives. This is happening now, in 2015. LGBTQ rights are human rights, and need to be globally prioritized.

Americans are currently waiting for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide on Obergefell v. Hodges, which could make same sex marriage legal in all 50 states. The eyes of the world are focused on us during this historic case. A powerhouse of the Western World, the United States could and should be a trailblazer for human rights issues. A handful of countries from around the globe have already legalized gay marriage, but many of them have relatively small populations. If America can nationally legalize gay marriage, I have no doubt that many other countries in Europe and elsewhere will follow suit.

Let’s take a look at which countries have already legalized same sex marriage.

2001: Netherlands
2003: Belgium, Canada
2005: Spain
2006: South Africa
2009: Norway, Sweden
2010: Portugal, Iceland, Argentina
2012: Denmark
2013: Uruguay, New Zealand, France, Brazil
2014: England, Wales, Scotland
2015: Luxembourg, Finland

By the writing of this post, these U.S. states allow same sex marriage:

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
 
The time for change is now. I sincerely hope we, as a nation, take the progressive steps needed to be part of the change. Big Brother needs to set an example.
 
*On June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States legalized Marriage Equality!!!