#LOVEWINS

Yesterday in the US, which I'm sure many of you are aware of, the US Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage will be legalised across all states in the US. Prior to this, 14 states, including Georgia, Ohio and Texas, didn't allow the marriage between two people of the same gender however, the recent ruling means that people of the same gender can now marry in any state across the US. 

I believe anyone, no matter what their sexual orientation is, has the right to marry. The President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, has said that the ruling is a victory for America and that when all Americans are treated as equal, they are all more free. Rainbow lights lit up the White House to celebrate this historic day.

How we treat people based on their race, nationality, religion and beliefs has changed so treating people in a better and more fair way based on their sexual orientation has been a long time coming. It is the 21st century and the fact that same-sex marriage has been legalised across all states of America (although I believe it should have been done many years ago) is a huge stepping stone perhaps not only for the US, but for the world, especially because it is the most powerful nation in the world. Perhaps more countries will now follow suit. 

Although religion is a huge factor when considering same-sex marriages, it shouldn't be. Times change and most aspects of the world has evolved with this change, however, some religions seem to struggle with keeping up with this change, as though they are finding it hard to shift to the modern way of life, most likely due to the strong beliefs of their leaders and people as well as the history of the religion. 

Same-sex marriage is already legal in the UK, with the exception of Northern Ireland. However, it was only legalised last year which again I think could have been done a lot earlier. Same-sex couples have become hugely more accepted in the UK over the past 20 years. Only 12 countries in the European Union have a law stating that same-sex marriages are legal with the UK, France, Spain and Portugal among them. A further 12 have laws for a form of civil union rather than marriage for same-sex couples and some countries, including Serbia, Croatia, Ukraine and Slovakia still don't accept any form of same-sex marriage or union.

There's still a lot of progress to be done regarding same-sex couples. For example, same-sex couples in Mississippi are not allowed to adopt children and same-sex couples in Nebraska cannot foster children. The UK passed a law in 2002 allowing same-sex couples to adopt children. I agree with this law as couples in a same-sex marriage should be treated and allowed the same things as a couple in a different-sex marriage. At the end of the day, we are all people and same-sex couples can still love and nurture as well as provide a good life for children just as well as different-sex couples. You can't help who you fall in love with.

#LoveWins trended on Twitter as soon as the ruling was announced. Search for #LoveWins on Twitter to find inspirational and moving stories as well as people's opinions throughout the world on the ruling.

Barack Obama tweeted this statement in recognition of the US Supreme Court ruling

Equality for all. 

Do you agree the with US Supreme Court allowing same-sex marriages throughout the US? Do you believe same-sex couples should be treated and seen in the same way as different-sex couples? Do you believe in equality?