Del. Ben Barnes on Marriage Equality

There are hundreds of rights with government has given to civil marriage. These rights are by definition civil rights. When government gives rights and responsibility we have a duty to do so without partiality or prejudice. As President Obama indicated just this week, failing to do so would be a clear violation of the equal protection clause of the United States Constitution. As such, it is not only our moral duty to ensure same sex families enjoy all the rights as opposite sex families, it is also our constitutional duty.