Australia is now working on allowing same-sex marriages, but at the moment is against it.
New Zealand is the same - currently working on it, but not quite there.
So does this group deserve the right to be equal like everybody else?
To answer this, we are going to go deeper than the meaning gay.
We are going to go beyond the label, and to do this we are going to look at the individual.
Picture this: There are two girls, one is gay and the other is not.
They have been friends for some time, they are both friendly and get along with most people, work hard in school and get averagely good grades. Both of them laugh at the same things and make similar jokes.
Besides the fact that one is gay and the other is not, is there much difference between them?
They both have goodness in their hearts.
In saying that, should gays have the same rights as say you and me?
I believe they shouldn't be treated any worse than a straight person; they shouldn't be treated any better either.
They should be treated as equals.
See the person, not the preference.
Look at the average human being. We are all pretty similar.
Sure, there are little differences like colour, size, religion and other differences that make us unique. But don't we all do the same daily activity?
We all wake up each morning to go to work or school, we all keep in contact with our friends and family, perhaps we play sport or enjoy reading a novel in our spare time, and then go back to bed.
Of course there are the little differences like colour, size and religion. You don't have to look too far back in time to see that people with dark skin were discriminated against.
And look how we have learnt to accept that in today's society and how they have the same equal rights.
Is that the same for being gay?
What would you do if one of your well-known friends turned to you and said, "I am gay."
To tell you the truth, this has happened to me not once, but twice, and you know what?
I turned around to them and said, "I don't care if you're gay, bisexual, or just plain straight.
"You're my friend and that's all that matters to me."
See the person and not the preference.
• By ANDREA VOYCE
Year 12, Maniototo Area School
