Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Washington--as well as the District of Columbia--have legalized same-sex marriage, representing 15.7% of the U.S. population. Same-sex marriage should be legalized across the country as well as allowing same-sex couples the right to spouse benefits--health insurance, Medicare, and access to the Family and Medical Leave Act. It should be within our own civil rights to decide who we marry, not in the hands of the Federal Government.



