"No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." This comes from Article XIV of the United States Constitution. As a citizen of the United States, we expect to be treated equally, to be guaranteed the same rights as every other citizen, but such an expectation is undermined for many people in America, especially within the gay community. This great country has flourished largely because, until now, we have upheld our reputation as being a country of equality, but here we stand today at a crossroads. As a country we are to decide whether these people are to be guaranteed the same protection as every other citizen or deny them these rights. We are also to decide whether or not to pass an amendment guaranteeing the rights of homosexuals in marriage. As a citizen of the United States who will be part of this decision, I find it in everybody's best interest to pass this amendment and give these people the same rights as every other citizen. Homosexuals are citizens of the United States of America and their sexual preference should not wave their rights. They should be provided with the same rights and the same protection as heterosexuals, particularly in protection from prejudices in the workplace, military, and in marriage. This isn't only for their benefit, but also for yours.
             Discrimination against homosexuals in the job community is not uncommon and currently there is nothing protecting them against such discrimination. In fact "in 1979, a federal court held that an employee who was 'openly and publicly flaunting his homosexual way of life and indicating further continuance of such activities' could legally be fired for those activities alone...