Dear Mr. President I am student at Salt Lake Community College.

I have been tasked with considering the issue of same sex marriage, and the constitutionality of section 3 of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. Let me start of by saying that it has been a true journey in my efforts to try to understand this extremely sensitive subject. I approached my research with an open mind and I came to my decision. I decided that section 3 of the DOMA is indeed unconstitutional. It clearly stands against the basis of which this country was founded on. It strikes at the very core of freedom. As a nation we are constantly evolving. Issues throughout history have come and gone. We are now in an age were this issue needs to be dealt with. So my dilemma with this is, are we not called the United States of America? Yet we stand divided by religious and financial borders on the subject. So then if we have injustice within our own laws, how then can we have justice outside of them? During my research on the matter I came to realize a couple different pros and cons. Allow me to begin with the cons. As I researched online for different arguments I found that benefits was a common one I kept seeing over and over again. I understand that Social Security, Veterans Benefits, Health Insurance etc. can be expensive. But lets take a minute to look at who we are keeping these benefits from. They are our workers that are keeping the industries going. They are our celebrities that entertain us. They are somebodys sister, brother, they are family. We can not simply exclude somebody from benefits that they have clearly earned. Another con that was common amongst the arguments was the belief that gay marriage would lead to polygamy and incest. This of course is ridiculous. First of all there is obviously no proof that homosexuality causes

such perverse acts. These types of things have no relevance in the matter at all. This statement was derived from those that follow religion, which is a touchy subject all on its own so Id rather not get into that just yet. The last con I thought I should mention is that many believe that by allowing gay marriage to happen it would mess childrens psychological process. As well as the fear of society thinking that it is okay to commit such acts. Although the truth is that no one can be converted into being gay, since it is not a life style choice. On the contrary it is a natural way of life one that you were simply born with. As for the fear of children being raised by gay parents, there have been no studies that show that being raised by gay parents will hold you back in any way. I think thats enough negativity for now lets begin with the pros. Although at first we would be spending money by giving full benefits, research shows that ultimately we would boost the economy by allowing full rights to flow throughout the gay community. Who is to say that a gay person is incapable of developing a great business into success? There is nothing that shows that a gay person performs any less that a straight person. In fact they are athletes, straight A students, and entrepreneurs. I believe its time for us to realize that sometimes you have to give in order to receive. The next pro I must mention is that it will bring unity and closure to a 43 year old debate in this country. As a nation we truly stand divided on the subject thanks to religion, greed, and hatred for something that is truly none of our business. Who one chooses to marry out of love is their own business. As my mom would always say no sas metiche! which means dont be nosey. Well I believe we are being very nosey and very intrusive, and to deny them the right to marry is just flat out unconstitutional. I understand that some religions just cant accept the idea due to their beliefs, but if I

learned anything from this humanities course its that you must question everything to truly understand it. With all due respect to those beliefs I simply am asking for us to question our laws and our beliefs. For many of them could very well be outdated or simply misinterpreted. We are now in the 21st century and quite honestly we just didnt have the technological or the scientific state of mind that then that we do today. I am not trying to offend you or anyone else that might be religious. All I am saying is that it may very well be possible that some these things may be outdated or misinterpreted. It is my hope that as a nation we can get passed this issue so that we can move on to more pressing matters. I had the honor of interviewing someone who just so happen to be LDS and he told me that he had a gay younger brother. I immediately thought to myself that this was the perfect opportunity to gather valuable information. Mr. President let me remind you that I am from Utah in which there is a very strong Mormon Influence over the entire state. This person told me that he would support his brother in all things except that. I thought to myself how cruel?. When I asked him why, he said that his beliefs clearly state that matrimony is between a man and a women. When I asked if he thought his brother was going to hell when he died he replied that is not for me to decide. I realized that these seemed to be the common responses given by most religions. I also asked him if he thought that maybe one day the Mormon Temple would accept gay marriage and allow them to be performed in their temples, His response was no. I entered the interview open mindedly therefore I respect this point of view. Another source that we all learn a lot from is the media, although the media can sometimes be misinterpreted and misleading. I believe that it is easy to forget that

ultimately this is a matter of love and its natural path that must be respected. I am sorry to say that I have learned that love is something that cannot be held back from no one. I have been challenged to come up with four examples that relate to the four different themes we discussed in our class. I will begin with freedom. This country was founded upon the very idea of freedom. It makes us who we are its our trademark its our way of life. All I am asking for is that we keep it that way. As I mentioned before these people are Americans that are out there working, going to school, and fighting for this country. Why then should they receive any less than everybody else? This next subject is perfect because it is Identity and who more than a gay person struggles to find their identity? I can only imagine what it is like to grow up following a religion opposes your very heart. Many gay people are so afraid to openly come out of the closet if fear of how it may be received by their friends and family. The fact that we are forcing a percentage of our own population to live in secrecy because of ignorance is wrong. As a nation we are being cruel and unjust, is that not the definition of oppression? To be oppressing our own people that is a step in the wrong direction, we are suppose to be the greatest nation on earth are we not? Death was also one of our subjects. Homosexuality has long been punished and frowned upon. I am sorry to say that it has not changed. I was surprised to find that a high number of suicides could be linked to gay issues. In fact a gay child in American is more likely to develop suicidal tendencies than a straight child. Again I must say we are now in the 21st century let us put an end to this unnecessary suffering. Finally there is the subject of religion. It is obvious that this is the major obstacle in the way of gay marriage. I believe in respecting all people their beliefs and their way

of life. That being said, I am asking everyone to put themselves in their shoes even if its just for a minute. We owe it to them, we owe that to everybody. Id simply like to finish by asking the high ranking religious figures, the ones wielding the pens that make the decisions. Who will you be hurting the most, the ones fighting against love or those who seek it in true matrimony? If I havent made it clear by now Id like to say that I am pro gay marriage. I realize that the road to achieving acceptance nationwide is a long and tedious one but I have hope in our people and in our government that justice will prevail. The support for gay marriage is rising day by day. In a recent poll in 2013 showed that 56% of American was for gay marriage. Although we currently only have 9 states that have legalized it. It is my belief that the support for gay marriage will continue to grow therefore there is hope. I just know that we can not keep these people from what they rightfully deserve. It is our obligation as the United States of American to provide freedom to all and allow something as simple as an honest wedding. These people are simply asking to be allowed to marry in true matrimony. This is obviously a growing issue but one I do believe that will be quelled in favor of gay marriage. For as I said before there is no stopping the heart from what it wants or from what it chooses to pursue. I do believe it is just a matter of time. I understand that you are for gay marriage and would like to thank you for being the first president to do so. I understand that it must have been a bit difficult at the very least considering your position. I would to like to applaud your admirable action in taking it upon your self to really get the attention of the government by doing so. I would like to conclude by saying that although this is a tough issue now, I have hope that we

will get by this so that we can truly take on the bigger issues. I would like to thank you for your time to read my letter and I wish you luck and good fortune.

Sincerely Jorge Rogel

Reflection: During my time in this class I have freed my mind in a way I never did before. I have to came to learn and understand different religions and their beliefs. It has opened more paths, given me more opportunities to make connections with my fellow human beings. I feel as if I have become more diplomatic in a sense, I have broken a piece of the barrier that was put up by my own mind. I found most interesting the fact that in all the themes we discussed there was not one that showed me that the human spirit is weak or can be broken. Taking all this in was a battle in itself but I learned that keeping an open mind is key when it come to the quest for knowledge. One way I have progressed in life thanks to my new found knowledge is that I have become quite the investigator. What I mean by that is that I am just questioning everything now and looking at it from different perspectives. I would say the hardest thing about the assignment was the research it was time consuming reading all the information. I believe the paper does reflect my mastery of the course simply by its complexity and its details. I believe it is extremely important to voice your opinion especially when it seems right. This is why If I was promoting or fighting for this I would make it very clear to myself and my supporters that we must not stand idle. I would say let them hear ustruly hear us.