Gay marriage equality has a long way to go in the U.S. and the world, but there are milestones that happen and give a flicker of hope that change is coming. One day LGBT people will not only be able to marry, but they will share the same rights as heterosexuals and and acceptance will be the norm. In the year 2000, no states within in the United States had legalized gay marriage, and now in 2014, seventeen states have made steps toward marriage equality.

Many cases are being filed every day from same sexy couples feeling the injustice. At the root of all of these cases are civil rights as outlined in the 14th amendment. Technically according to the 14th amendment, it is prohibited to let the states decide. That will have to be something that reaches the federal level in order to change before gay marriage is allowed nationwide.

Marriage is however one issue out of a host of others for LGBT people, as outlined before, in other countries it is illegal to engage in homosexual activity, let alone support it. LGBT people can be subject to imprisonment, violence, and even in some cases have their lives threatened. This also happens everyday in America, and LGBT people are marginalized and oppressed.

According to the Williams Institute survey of homeless youth in 2012, 42 percent of homeless youth identified as LGBT, and of that 42 percent, 68 percent were kicked out of their homes because of their orientation. Violence against LGBT people has been on the rise, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs it is the highest it has ever been.

In February 2014 Arizona tried to pass the Senate Bill 1062 allowing business owners to deny service to LGBT people on the basis of religion. A father in Texas recently just murdered his daughter and her lover because she was gay. Gay men, transgender people, and LGBT people of color are targeted the most with hate crimes.

When faced with one inequity there are often others that follow suit, which can take its toll on the mental health and well being of a person. Immigration, racial, social and economic justice also fall on the shoulders of LGBT people, and those issues intersect with their queer identity which can pose to be quite difficult when trying to move throughout the world, especially when certain facets of society are rampantly against you.

On the contrary, many public figures, activists, leaders and celebrities have stood up as allies in support of LGBT people, like the Legalize Gay t-shirt campaign, and the No H8 Campaign where people and celebrities are are photographed with duct tape over their mouths as a symbol of the silenced voices during Proposition 8. Many high profile closeted individuals have come out as well to be visible in the spotlight to inspire others to be who they are.

In his 2012 inauguration speech, President Obama mentioned the Stonewall riots, a pivotal moment in LGBT history, and LGBT people to a full crowd in front of the Washington Monument.

He said, "It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law -- for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well."

For most people, getting engaged, planning a wedding, and marrying the person they love is one of the happiest days of their lives. For LGBT people, this day can be the best day of their lives or be overshadowed with discrimination, that is if they are even allowed to marry, if their families even support them, if they can find a business to make their cake, a person to officiate, and aren't tied up in legal tape.

Imagine More a project based out of Wisconsin asks the question, what if the only thing you had to worry about on your wedding day was who to invite? Hopefully some day when it comes to gay marriage it will be that easy.