Everyone deserves the chance to be loved, regardless of gender. Try putting yourself in someone else's shoes. It's not as easy as you think! There are millions of people who would like to have the opportunity to marry the person they love, but there are laws that do not allow same-sex couples to marry. How happy do you think it would make married gay couples if you allowed them to have 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 about others. In data from University of California demographer Gary Gates, 19 percent of same-sex couples raising children in 2009 reported having a child adopted as a family member, compared to just 8 percent in 2000. Gates estimates that 4% of the adopted population in the United States is approximately 65,000 children, living in homes where the head of the family is gay or lesbian. Most states have no 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 gay and lesbian couples cannot marry (Caughman). Even though one parent can adopt as a single parent, this prevents the second parent from adopting. This situation may improve as more states legalize same-sex marriage and thus, in turn, 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. The policies include preference for heterosexual spouses... people who are as committed, monogamous, responsible and loving a set of parents as any heterosexual couple I know," "And in some cases even more so." His support to gay marriage was itself a major breakthrough, but equally notable was its indirect affirmation of gay couples as parents, which served to refute the standard argument against gay marriage that it jeopardizes the well-being of children and family. Gay marriage should be legal in all states, it gives someone the chance to be loved. You would not only fulfill the dreams of a couple, but also of many others next step which is marriage. Everyone deserves the chance to be more open about their feelings, and if everyone accepted them, it wouldn't be a problem. Give others the opportunity that you have but don't .