Gay Marriage has been a controversial topic for decades. In fact, Missouri put a ban on same-sex marriage in March of 2021 because of what Missouri Statute 451.22 says.
This Statute states that “any purported marriage not between a man and a woman is invalid.”
Purported, when used as a verb, is a synonym for claim, appear, and seem. Its definition according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is, “to have the often specious appearance of being, intending, or claiming.”
Junior Milo Cain, the Programming Coordinator for the Gay Straight Trans Allignence, was unhappy about the ban.
“I think that banning gay marriage is unconstitutional and morally incorrect. It is important to keep the freedom of marriage open to all people. It is a fundamental right to be able to love others. Church and state need to stay separated in order to protect our constitutional rights. We need to keep progressing as a society and not fall into our old ways,” Cain said.
In November of this year, the U.S. Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act to recognize the validity of same-sex marriage, as well as interracial marriage.
This act doesn’t legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 states, but it does require the recognition of a legal marriage across state lines. This allows gay couples to get married accross statelines when they can’t get married in their home states.
“I think it will definitely give hope to the LGBTQ+ community, ensuring that once they find somewhere to be married it will be recognized throughout the United States. This will also relieve the stress of not knowing whether their marriage will mean anything if they move,” said Cain.
Cain strongly believes that people should be allowed to love who they want.
“Homosexuality is human nature and the nature of all other animals, there is nothing unnatural about it. Everyone should be able to find love without the fear of their rights being taken away, being hate-crimed, and verbally harassed. The banning of gay marriage will only lead to more bigotry and hate centered around the LGBTQ+ community,” Cain said.
The respect for marriage act could change the lives of LGBTQ+ people for years to come.