This is also stated in the dictionary; however, the second meaning of the word simply states "a close union" (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language). The latter definition clearly identifies a gender neutral merger. The traditional meaning of marriage must be substituted because gays and lesbians are people who happen to love others of the same gender and have the same need for intimacy, comfort, and stability as the rest of the population. Everyone agrees that it is the uniting of two people who love each other and wish to spend the rest of their lives together. Furthermore, as the task of defining a marriage progresses, the heated discussion of whether or not homosexual marriages should be legalized enhances. Some people say that gender should not matter during the union of two people, while others argue that a marriage is only a real marriage if it is male-female.
We must understand that marriage itself has already been through a cycle of changes and these changes must continue until it fully transforms into an institution suitable for all people. Society must remember the 1959 Virginia Court case wherein Richard Loving, a white male, attempted to marry Mildred Jeter, an African American woman. A marriage license was automatically denied to the couple who chose to marry just like many homosexuals in today's society. When they went to court to rectify their situation, the couple was faced with the fact that they were going to be jailed because of their illegal marriage (Wang). While such a ruling would be considered preposterous today, it must become logical that if bans on interracial marriage have been declared unconstitutional, the same bans on homosexual marriage must be overturned. Besides the interracial change, marriage has seen many slight modifications. Western law guarantees that wives are equal partners in marriages unlike the subordinate creatures they were once considered as.