Assignment # 12 Due 12-17-13

"It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law -- for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well."

President Obama, 2013 Inauguration Speech

In this passage President Obama is challenging the words of the Declaration of Independence that states, “All men are created equal.” What draws many individuals to the United States is the notion that as individuals we were all created equal and have individual freedom. However, as our history and present today has shown, that is not the case. “Our gay brothers and sisters,” as Obama stated are not considered equal to heterosexuals under the law. This does not make sense if we are all suppose to be created equal. In certain industries, women who are just as qualified and educated as men make less money because of their gender. This also does not make sense if we are all supposed to be created equal. In order for us to truly stand and live by the notion that “All men are created equal,” under the law we must treat everyone the same despite their sexual identification and/or gender. For, as President Obama so eloquently put it “If we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well."