Dear Future President, 

        My name is Shelby; I am a 15 year old high school student in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I believe LGBT communities should have the same rights as heterosexual couples/people because everyone has the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, according to the Declaration of Independence. 

       I have a personal experience of a close friend of mine committing suicide because he was gay. It has been conservatively estimated the 1,500 Gay and Lesbian youth commit suicide every year. In order to stop that we need to make them feel welcome in this country and give them the same rights. Gay marriage is banned in 13 states, and in the other 37 states it is legal. The next future president needs to make it legal country wide and not make it an option for state governments to choose. The states that explicity allow same-sex couples to petition for a second parent adoption include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. A June 2014 peer-reviewed University of Melbourne study showed that children raised by same-sex parents score about 6% higher than the general population on measures of general health and family cohesion. 

      Gay individuals and couples deserve equality under the laws; they deserve to be treated just as every straight person is treated. Gay people should be allowed to get married and receive equal benefits, they are just as important and as much a part of today's society as any straight person. America needs to get past prejudice and give gays the rights they deserve. 

       Thank you for serving our country. 

                                                                                                                                                                                            Sincerely, 

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Shelby