In the State of Nebraska, there is a split. There are those who believe in the conservative beliefs that made this country great and there are those who believe in a more progressive approach. Last week proved in favor of those progressive-minded people. Starting March 9, 2015, same sex marriage will finally be legal in the Nebraska. In the U.S., gay marriage is currently legal in thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia.

It is a growing opinion that everyone should be allowed to get married in this country. There are many terrible things happening in this world. Between people being murdered by terrorist groups halfway across the globe and issues like homelessness and hunger, it is ridiculous that our lawmakers have wasted this much time over a simple acknowledgement of love. In a recent poll by the New York Times, 40% of Nebraskans supported gay marriage and that is a large enough percentage to change our laws on gay rights.

Many people disagree with gay marriage solely on religious values. That is completely understandable, but I’ve personally always seen marriage as two people who love each other and who want to spend their lives together. With that definition, isn’t a marriage between two same-sex people who love each other a better example of marriage than a drunken marriage during a wild night in Las Vegas as seen in movies and television shows.

Aside from the acknowledgement of love, there are many other issues that could be settled from this change in legislature. A prime example is of two people who had been together for many years. Once they got married, they ended up saving around $9000 a year on insurance. That money could instead be spent on things that would stimulate the economy. Instead of someone spending all of their extra money on health insurance, an entity that really doesn’t put any money into your community, they could spend that extra money in their community, which would really help their local economy.

Yes, people are hesitant to accept this change, but marriage rights are something that is changing with the times. Hopefully this change in our legislature will be the first of many changes making our state a more contemporary place to live.