Introduction
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are popular words contained in the American Declaration of Independence. These words are what define the American people. Even among non-Americans, the words are well known to most of them. With America being the most powerful nation on earth, these words are guiding pillars to all humanity. Although these words were spoken over two hundred years ago, all of us today can still access the truths contained in them. The Declaration of Independence where these words are derived from is a cornerstone of American thought regarding freedom and happiness. Thomas Jefferson who is the writer of the famous words was greatly influenced by philosophers living of his time. Today, the Declaration of Independence is used as a blueprint of an effective government throughout the world (Andrew, 2005).
Main Body
One group of individuals who have continued to pursue liberty and happiness in the twentieth century and beyond is the American gay society. This group of committed men and women believe that gay marriage should be a constitutional right for everyone in America. They claim that as a nation, we cannot fail to recognize gay marriages and be said to support their constitutional rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Despite the churches’ belief that marriage should strictly be between a man and woman, the gay society has maintained that one should not be denied their right to happiness. The gays believe that all people should be allowed to exercise their rights to happiness that is clearly articulated in the constitution despite their sexual orientation. According to them, the constitution provides the right for one to be at liberty to choose their marriage partner regardless of their sex (Wolfrum, 2009).
The stiff fight put up by the American gay society has completely changed the worldview of gay people. Despite gay marriages being taboo in many countries, many gays through observing the boldness exemplified by their American brothers have come out of the closet and are openly showing their sexual orientation. Currently, the issue of gay marriage has found a wide acceptance across the cultural divide. Today, even churches that had previously taken a strong stance against the issue have now realized that marriage is a constitutional right that should not be denied to any person. The issue has become widely accepted to a point where gay bishops are being ordained to lead churches (Wolfrum, 2009).
Currently, there is talk of constitutional amendments that make gay marriages illegal. If passed into law, this amendment is going to deny many gay people their right to life, liberty, and happiness. With the gay society waging a stiff fight to gain recognition, these changes are not likely to be carried out any time soon. Many American people have learned to defend the constitutional rights of everyone in society. In the future, any efforts to amend the constitution to deny gay people their rights to liberty and freedom will be met by stiff opposition from both the gays and the public. This shows just how the gay society’s contributions have had a great impact on society (Wolfrum, 2009).
Conclusion
The American gay society has continued to pursue its right to life, liberty, and happiness. The stiff fight they have been waging has changed the world’s perception of gay marriages. Today, more gay people are coming out of their closets to demand their right to liberty and happiness. This has brought a big change in society’s attitude toward gay people. In the future, more people are expected to oppose any constitutional amendments seeking to deny gay people their constitutional rights.
References List
- Andrew, F. (2005) Life, Liberty and the Pursuit for Happiness. Web.
- Wolfrum, W. (2009) Gay Equality Will Help Make “Life, Liberty & Pursuit of Happiness” Less of a Joke. Web.