On Tuesday, March 9, the first gay marriages in D.C. were held after the D.C. Council approved the measure to legalize same sex marriage on Dec. 1, 2009. Quite frankly, I believe it’s about time.

That anyone could imagine discriminating against anyone else for what they believe or the way they act or look appalls me because I believe that we moved past that many years ago. I’m happy that slowly we are opening our eyes to common sense, but it is not happening fast enough for my taste.

Is all the uproar necessary? A gay couple was married and the Earth did not split in two, the Sun didn’t explode; it was a peaceful ceremony just like any other wedding. Is the union between two men or two men hurting the rest of us in any way? I haven’t seen a cut nor bruise on me at all, and I’m fairly certain I haven’t been driven insane. This nonsense that a gay marriage “threatens the sacred institution of marriage” is utter lunacy. Gays are not demanding the right to rule the world. They merely want the same rights as their peers.

As for the “sacred institution of marriage” argument, this view is purely religious, and the Constitution does not provide that a heterosexual marriage is “sacred” in any way. When conducting politics, you have to separate your political views from the religious ones. In fact, this is the very reason why we have a little doctrine called Separation of Church and State, not only to protect the free exercise of religion but also to protect the secularism of the government. This is also the reason why we are not a theocracy, and so religion cannot and should not influence the decision-making of those who are enforcing these outlandish anti-gay laws.

Slowly but surely we are coming around to our senses, and it is my wish that the other states in our nation will follow the example of D.C. and the other states that have legalized gay marriage.