Dear Mr. or Mrs. President,

There is a constant struggle between the LGBT community and other people (especially people of strong faith). Gay people have gotten certain rights like marriage, etc. but they don't have the same civil rights as a straight person. There are businesses that are allowed to refuse service to gay people and they are allowed to fire people based on their sexual preference, but most places have the choice of serving gays or employing gays and going against their beliefs or shutting down their business entirely because they think being gay is wrong, because of this there is a type of war between those religious people and the LGBT community about who should have their rights. A writer for The Atlantic, Emma Green shares some of her views on this topic that I agree with. So one issue worth considering in the next four years is to pass a law so LGBT people get their constitutional rights like they deserve.

"Twenty-eight is the number of states where it’s not against the law to discriminate against a gay person or couple who’s looking for an apartment, applying for a job, or buying something from a store.The irony of gay marriage becoming legal in the United States is that it has made discrimination against LGBT people easier. For example: Many newlywed couples may be asking their employers for spousal benefits for the first time. Depending on where they live, it may or may not be illegal for that employer to respond by firing them.Businesses and any employees can turn down any member from the LGBT community just because they don't agree with their way of living life and say it's because of their religion, even if it's not and no one can question it.

Both sides have a lot to lose from inaction. But they also have the opportunity to shift the public debate away from largely symbolic gestures, like clergy protection acts, and toward issues that affect the daily lives of millions of Americans. There’s a whole lot of groups now, that are on the religious right, rethinking their Christian witness about what it means to be good to our gay neighbors. Jesus, or whoever your faith figure is, would not be standing up for the idea that a person should never have a place to live, or not have a job, or a livelihood, or a way to support their families." I think that people with religious beliefs shouldn't be able to use their way of living as an excuse to keep someone who's gay from living their lives as they choose to.

A public business or a company owned business shouldn't be allowed to deny service or a job to someone just because they're gay or transgender because of their religious beliefs. All businesses really should care about is the service, not who they serve, the money, not where the money came from, it doesn't matter where it came from it's all the same."When a person or an institution is engaged in commercial activity, engaging with the general public, then they should treat all members of the general public equally." The business isn't going to ask all customers their sexual preference or what sex they were born as before they offer their services, it is none of their business and it's not like gay people look completely different from anyone else, we look exactly like you.

"Anti-discrimination laws, in the end, are not about re-litigating the definition of marriage, nor condoning homosexuality. They’re about protecting LGBT people from being fired, evicted, and turned away from diner counters, especially now that they’ve won the bittersweet right to live their relationships fully in public.” I believe that everyone will benefit from a law that makes equality actually equal. Religious people shouldn't use their beliefs as an excuse towards the LGBT community, and the LGBT community shouldn't try and use their lifestyle to get an advantage in anything or think that they need more of something because they are different, honestly all they want is to be protected from being fired or denied anything they have a constitutional right to.

Sincerely,

Kassidy H.