Same-sex marriage has been a polarizing issue in the United States, with the nation almost evenly split on the subject, but a number of recent events point towards the beginnings of deserved vindication for its proponents.

In February alone, the federal Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in San Francisco, ruled Proposition 8 was unconstitutional; the State of Washington passed a bill granting marriage equality; Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey vetoed a similar bill and same-sex marriage seems to be on the verge of approval in Maryland.

Disregarding New Jersey, the news seems to portend a changing tide of opinion on the issue, a tide that is finally falling on the right side of history. Still, many people hold serious doubts on same-sex marriage.

Opponents of same-sex marriage often claim it will result in the corruption of family values. Bishop Harry Jackson wrote an article, appearing on CNN, where he commented, “If gay marriage is allowed, the nation will soon begin to experience an increased degradation of the nuclear family – resulting in fewer kids being raised by both a mom and a dad.”

In a similar vein, the Family Research Council argues, “Homosexual relationships last only a fraction of the length of most marriages.”

However, there has been little evidence to substantiate these assertions and comparing all relationships to marriage is like comparing apples to oranges.

Still, for the sake of argument, looking at divorce rates especially among states that have legalized same-sex marriage (Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Washington D.C.) there is clearly a lack of evidence that traditional marriage has been negatively impacted.

Last year, the U.S. Census released findings showing divorce rates were up to 2.5 times lower in the Northeast than in the South (Ranging from six to 16 percent), which included a number of states where same-sex marriage has been legalized.

These results were in large part due to the higher marriage rates in the South and the delaying of marriage in the Northeast, according to census officials. Despite this, the findings also fail to show how same-sex couples destroy marriage and more specifically have short relationships.

Another argument against same-sex marriage poses the fear children will become misguided as public schools give equal importance to these types of unions, ultimately hurting family values.

Yet, allowing a generation of children to be raised with the notion that some people have no place in a moral society falls short of Christian values of acceptance (Romans 15:7).

Besides all of the moral issues involved with the subject, same-sex marriage can directly contribute to the improvement of our economy pairing up two groups that have often come at odds with one another: business and liberals.

The Wall Street Journal has sustained the national legalization of same-sex marriage could actually lead to an immediate increase in spending of $17 billion and improve the federal budget. A large portion of this spending would go directly to the wedding industry, leaving certain business interests with a huge potential for gain.

In California, the battle over marriage is unlikely to end soon. Proposition 8 could potentially be taken up in the Supreme Court despite the specifically narrow interpretation Judge Stephen Reinhardt applied in declaring the ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.

Reinhardt wrote, “Proposition 8 serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California, and to officially reclassify their relationships and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples.”

Letting the trial reach the Supreme Court could possibly be one of the best things for same-sex marriage. A trial at that level would have national implications for the issue and could be a step in repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Ultimately, DOMA must be addressed. States have been allowed to make their own decisions on the issue, but this has created a number of complex laws only respected by certain governing bodies.

Same-sex couples still currently do not receive the rights afforded to other couples at the federal level, leaving them to continue to be second-rate citizens.

As Californians and students, we must help create the impetus needed to rid our country of DOMA.

It’s time for change.