Everyone loves Ellen DeGeneres… right? Wrong. In fact, a group called One Million Moms was outraged after J.C. Penney Co. chose the openly gay DeGeneres as its new spokesperson.

The group claimed that the store was merely jumping on the “pro-gay bandwagon” and that it would lose the majority of customers with traditional values. We’re happy to announce that JCPenney ignored the outcry and decided to keep DeGeneres as its representative, but the situation is only the latest gay-related controversy to make news in recent months.

It is no secret that the issue of sexual orientation divides the country. You might believe that people are born straight or gay or that their sexual preference develops over time or that homosexuality can be cured. You are either for the legalization of same-sex marriage or you are against it.

But it’s time for all of America to start crossing that line, starting with same-sex marriage. The question is no longer whether or not it should be legalized. The question is on which side of history you will be standing on when it finally is.

We at the Tribune believe that no matter what your stance on marriage equality is, you must accept the fact that sooner or later, gay marriage will be legalized on a national level.

Will you be among the ranks of the opposition, a group including current Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum and others who have publicly, repeatedly asserted that all homosexual acts are deviant and that gay marriage will lead to legalization of things like polygamy and bestiality?

Or will you be with us, among the ranks of those who have chosen to stand up for the equal rights of LGBT citizens across America, who simply wish to attain the same civil and legal rights straight Americans have been guaranteed for decades?

Politicians and citizens alike have spent countless hours debating this issue. Many opponents argue for the ban of same-sex marriage for moral or religious reason. Neither argument is correct. The right to legally marry the person you love is not a political issue. It is a human rights issue.

The marriage equality movement, like all civil rights movements, has faced its share of setbacks. After just three months of legalized gay marriage in California, Proposition 8 was passed in 2008, fully outlawing same-sex marriage in the state.

But the tide is turning. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was repealed in 2011, with no apparent detriment to our armed forces. A federal appeals court ruled Prop 8 unconstitutional on Feb. 7, setting the stage for a Supreme Court decision in the near future. This week, Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire signed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state, making it the seventh state to currently allow that right.

And as the fight continues in other state legislatures, including New Jersey and Illinois, it is becoming more evident that the marriage equality movement is virtually unstoppable. As the LGBT community gains more legal equality, they will eventually be just that — legally equal.

We are not saying that you have to accept the legalization of gay marriage. It wouldn’t be the first time that citizens did not support a law passed by their government. For example, ask any 18-year-old how they feel about the legal drinking age. More than likely, they do not appreciate it.

The point is, there are many people who don’t like certain laws, but they must still obey those laws. And we believe it’s worth upsetting some Americans to grant equal rights to all Americans.

Even after same-sex marriage is eventually legalized, there will be challenges and obstacles. African-Americans and women were granted the right to to vote in this country years ago, but they are still discriminated against today.

With legal justice on the horizon, social equality for LGBT citizens may be further down the road. However, we believe that when the former is achieved nationwide, the latter will soon follow.

The tide of marriage equality is turning. Some would argue it has already turned. Whether you are coasting on top of the wave or struggling to swim underneath, we hope you eventually reach the rest of us on the shore.