Oest 1

Kimi Oest
Mr. DeJonge
English IV College Prep
17 January 2017
Acceptance
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but that doesnt mean I always agree with
them. My opinion is that everyone should be treated equally regardless of their gender identity,
religion, race, and equal rights. Acceptance is something that is very important to me. I believe
everyone should be accepted for who they are no matter what.
A few years ago, same sex marriage was legalized and it caused many different reactions
all over the US. Lots of people were excited about the supreme court decision. They were able to
marry the love of their life or supported those people who wished to marry the same sex. Then
there were those that were against it all. CNN included the quote from Chief Justice John
Roberts,
If you are among the many Americansof whatever sexual orientationwho favor
expanding same-sex marriage, by all means celebrate today's decision. Celebrate the
achievement of a desired goal," he wrote. "Celebrate the opportunity for a new expression
of commitment to a partner. Celebrate the availability of new benefits. But do not
celebrate the Constitution. It had nothing to do with it.
This was a perfect quote to include in the article. Same-sex marriage being legalized was a
historical event that will be talked about for centuries to come.

Oest 2
Personally, I see why people are so appalled by this action. If you are not affected by the
legalization of same sex marriage then why do you care? It causes no harm to you or anyone else
in this country. It only brings joy and happiness to people around the country.
The group Equality Now fights for gender equality. Gender equality in this society is a
huge deal to me. This group has been active in our society since 1992. They included this
statement on their website and it really stood out to me. Yasmeen Hassan, Global Executive
Director, Equality Now says,
The law is a statement of your worth by your government. Laws that treat men and
women, girls and boys unequally relegate women and girls to a lower status in society.
Failure to outlaw practices that harm women and girls leaves them with no recourse for
violations against them. The law is the way to hold your government accountable for your
protection.
I believe that this is truly important. Since the beginning of time, the rights for women have been
lesser than men. Women have had to fight their way to be equal. I dont understand why they are
seen as lesser. If you break it down, we are all the same on the inside. This also applies to other
races. African-Americans have also had a huge struggle with fighting for equal rights.
Everywhere you look there is rejection or acceptance. Social media is a huge instigator
with showing the expressions of famous people. APS states on their website, If you turn on the
television set, and watch any reality TV program, most of them are about rejection and
acceptance, he says. The reason, DeWall says, is that acceptancein romantic relationships,
from friends, even from strangersis absolutely fundamental to humans. In this society,
people accept you for who you are or reject everything about you. There isnt any reason to me
that people should judge someone or someones actions if they arent affected by it. Just because

Oest 3
someone is interested in the same sex doesnt mean theyre going to hit on everyone they see. Or
just because someone believes in something different than you makes them a bad person.
To me, all individuals should be accepted in society. Gender identity, race, religious
beliefs, and whatever else people are judgemental about doesnt matter to me. Everyone is
entitled to their opinion in my book. However, everyone should respect the others the opinion. If
they arent causing any harm to you, then it shouldnt matter. Too often people judge others
based on their appearance rather than their personality. After all, they always say Never judge a
book by its cover.

Oest 4

Works Cited
Davis, Jesse. "Accepting Homosexuality: From Shame to Acceptance." Accepting
Homosexuality: From Shame to Acceptance. InnerSelf Publications, n.d. Web. 11 Jan.
2017.
De Vogue, Ariane, and Jeremy Diamond. "Supreme Court Rules States Must Allow Same-sex
Marriage." CNN. Cable News Network, 27 June 2015. Web. 11 Jan. 2017.
"Our Approach." Equality Now. N.p., 27 Sept. 2016. Web. 12 Jan. 2017.
"Social Acceptance and Rejection: The Sweet and the Bitter." Association for Psychological
Science. N.p., 12 Aug. 2011. Web. 17 Jan. 2017.