Marriage. A legally, religiously or socially sanctioned union of people who are committed to each other, forming a familial and economic bond. Including same-sex marriages. Same-sex marriage is one of the most controversial topics of our time. As of July 1, 2013, 55-40% of Americans believe same-sex marriages should be recognized by law. This is the greatest support there has ever been in our country. We should not deprive gay and lesbian couples of the human right to equality. Legalizing same-sex marriage has been proven to do extraordinary things not only for individuals, but for our country as a whole. Not doing so would only take us further back in the evolution of American society. We are becoming more and more open as a society and treating everyone the same would definitely help. First, same-sex marriage should be legal because it would create financial gain for state and local governments. Revenue from gay marriage comes from marriage licenses, increased income taxes and decreased costs for state benefit programs. More marriages mean more money for the government. The Comptroller for New York City found that legalizing gay marriage would bring $142 million to the city's economy and $182 million to the state's economy over three years. Now, just because the government has more money doesn't mean it will use it well. They may needlessly fund irrelevant changes instead of more important causes. While you can never guarantee where the money will go, this is the system that generally works well and benefits us. In the end, most of us get what we need. One of the most popular arguments against gay and lesbian marriage is that the Bible says homosexuality is wrong. This should… half of the paper… In the Supreme Court case of Zablocki v. Redhail, the court described marriage as one of the fundamental civil rights of man. Granting only heterosexual couples the “privilege” of marriage would be unconstitutional. Americans should have the freedom to marry whoever they want, regardless of gender. Therefore, if we legalize same-sex marriage, all Americans will be treated equally by the government. Suffice it to say that this could be the only thing that prevents us from restarting the economy and society. More money in the system and a more open-minded society are both things our country desperately needs. Using religious texts for peace is a good start. Legalizing gay marriage wouldn't hurt anyone, so why not do it? We must give everyone their civil rights. It's time for a change. If people have been fighting for marriage equality since the 1960s, this is more than just important.