Everyone deserves the chance to be loved, regardless of gender. Try to be in someone else's shoes. It's not as easy as you think! There are millions of people who would like the opportunity to marry the person they love, but there are laws that do not allow same-sex couples to marry. How married do you think you would make gay couples if you allowed them to enjoy the same benefits? They wouldn't feel so discriminated against if they had the same rights as you! Try to be a little more open-minded and think of others. According to data from University of California demographer Gary Gates, 19 percent of same-sex couples raising children in 2009 reported that an adopted child was a member of the household. , up from just 8% in 2000. Gates estimated that 4% of the adopted population in the United States was made up of about 65,000 children, living in homes where the head of the household is gay or lesbian. Most states do not have formal laws or policies in place, so much can depend on the judgment of child welfare professionals and judges when it comes to same-sex couples and adoption. In some states, laws or policies state that same-sex or unmarried couples are not allowed to adopt, and that gay and lesbian couples cannot marry (Caughman). Although one parent can adopt as a single parent, this then prevents the second parent from adopting. This situation may improve as more states legalize same-sex marriage and thus allow adoption by both members of a same-sex couple. According to the Family Equality Council, many states have policies that have the effect of restricting foster care or adoption by gays and lesbians. Policies include allowing preference for heterosexual married couples ... middle of paper ... people who are as committed, as monogamous, as responsible, as loving to a set of parents as any couple heterosexual that I know," "And in some cases, even more so. "His support for same-sex marriage was itself a historic turning point, but equally notable was his indirect affirmation of same-sex couples as parents, which served to refute the standard argument against same-sex marriage. being children and family. Gay marriage should be legal in all states, it gives someone a chance to be loved. You would not only make one couple's dreams come true, but many others as well. Everyone deserves to fall in love with who they want and deserve to take the next step which is marriage. Everyone deserves a chance to be more open about their feelings, and if everyone accepted them, it wouldn't be. a problem. Give others the opportunity to do it but they don't. .