Gay marriage simply an issue of civil rights

Whenever I have discussions with conservative Americans at Starbucks (which I happily call my second home), many of them quote the famous Winston Churchill about why it is important to be a conservative by the time you are 40.

What I know for sure in my life is that even if one day I begin to cheer for lower taxes and big business, the one issue I know I will always support is gay marriage.

On Feb. 7, the war over gay marriage brought us back once again to California where the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court Of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 decision that Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage in the golden state, is unconstitutional.

The court stated the decision that the voters decided on in 2008 serves no purpose and "lessens the human dignity" of gays.

At this present moment, seven states and the District Of Columbia have legalized gay marriage and used the term with pride.

I have never understood why anyone in this country would not want two people of the same sex to share the values of marriage that we proclaim to hold so dear: Love, loyalty, commitment, respect and family. Let's also not forget families come in all shapes in sizes no matter what the Christian right tells you.

As I was writing this column, I came across an argument in favor of gay marriage from progressive talk show host Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks who said that gay marriage is inevitable because America is a country that has realized the notion of progress and equal rights throughout its history.

The progress list includes: Ending slavery with the 13th Amendment, granting women the right to vote with the 19th Amendment, the rights of workers, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the Civil Rights Act, the Voter Rights Act and we have seen hate crime legislation signed into law under our current president, which is a lot more than I can say about the current right-wing obstructionists in Congress and the ones in this country who hate gay people.

I have to admit I am more surprised the state of California has not legalized gay marriage than I am of the fact that there are people in this country who think gay people are second class citizens.

I know homophobia and other kinds of hate still exist, but I will never defend it because to me, love really is an important factor in how we gain a better world, and I won't settle for separate but equal.

Will this case go to the U.S. Supreme Court? Nobody knows, but like many fights, I know this particular fight over this essential issue regarding marriage equality in America is not over and I will fight for the rights of every gay citizen until the day I die.

I'll ask the question again to the people who voted for Prop 8 almost four years ago because it boggles my mind everyday: How can anyone vote against love?