Have you ever had someone tell you that you are not allowed to do a certain thing? Then when you ask for a reason, they cannot seem to give you a valid one. That is how I see the state of Texas on the issue of gay marriage. I believe that we as human beings, in a civil society, have the right to marry the person we love no matter what the sex happens to be. This gay marriage ban is just another form of discrimination. Why should it matter whom we spend the rest of our lives with? Some people are worried about children. I think that as long as they have two loving parents, it does not matter what the parents’ sexes are. Children need a loving home that nurtures them. Children need to grow up in a “normal” family environment with two parents no matter what their sexual orientation is, rather than a “dysfunctional” family with mother and a father. It is people like Kelly Shackelford that make me feel embarrassed to be from Texas because of her comment in the Skiff on Wednesday. I never fully realized how narrow-minded the majority of Texas is. We are moving into the future, which will expand our social boundaries. Hopefully, in my lifetime, I will see this injustice rectified.Ashlee Manahan, sophomore communication studies major