Same-sex marriage is a growing issue across the United States. This is what some of us may consider one of the most important talking points for this time. So far, 17 out of 50 states have declared same-sex marriage legal (States, 2013). Same-sex marriage should be legal throughout the United States because same-sex couples have the civil right to marry, as well as the right to access the same benefits as heterosexual couples and to be treated equally without fear of discrimination. is a civil right. In 1958, a couple named Richard and Mildred Loving were arrested at their home for interracial marriage in Virginia, which was illegal at the time. They were sentenced to one year in prison, suspended on the condition that they leave the state together and not return for 25 years (Gay Marriage Legal, n.d.). In 1967, the United States Supreme Court struck down interracial marriage as illegal and declared that the freedom of marriage belonged to all Americans. They went so far as to define marriage as one of our “vital personal rights,” which coincides with our right as citizens to pursue happiness in this country (Gay Marriage Legal, n.d.). Even the NAACP, in May 2012, named same-sex marriage the civil rights issue of our time (Gay Marriage Legal, n.d.). In contrast, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has three basic features of what it includes and covers when enacted. comes to civil rights. This is long-term discrimination, disadvantaged United States, and unchanged characteristics of a person over time (Gay Marriage Legal, n.d.). This does not include sexual orientation, however. However, this contradicts what the Supreme Court said when it defined marriage as one of our "vi...... middle of paper ......nard, T., & Lieber, R (2009, October 2). The high price of being a gay couple. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/your-money/03money.html?pagewanted=allCompare translations of 1 Peter 2:18. Retrieved from http://www.biblestudytools.com/1-peter/2-18-compare.htmlFinding Happiness. (2014). Retrieved from http://findinghappinessmovie.com/find-happiness/happiness-quotes/ Santos, F. (February 26, 2014). Arizona Governor Vetoes Bill Denying Services to Gays. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/27/us/Brewer-arizona-gay-service-bill.htmlShould Same-Sex Marriage Be Legal?. Retrieved from http://gaymarriage.procon.orgStates. (December 20, 2013). Retrieved from http://www.freedomtomarry.org/states/.Treybig, D. (1997, May). Lessons from the first marriage. Retrieved from http://www.ucg.org/sex/lessons-first-marriage/