Maryland, Maine and Washington officially legalized same-sex marriage in a historic election for members of the LGBT community. Minnesota struck down a referendum to make same-sex marriage unconstitutional. The common theme among these landmark votes is not just that it was the state’s residents who supported same-sex marriage, but that Obama had seemingly nothing to do with it.

In May 2012, President Obama formally announced his support for same-sex couples to have the right to be married. And I think it’s here where many of us get caught up in our interpretations. President Obama made a verbal stance, not explicitly saying that he would make same-sex marriage legal, but that he feels as though it should be — and decided that states should be responsible. So, when an MTV interview revealed that Obama would not push same-sex marriage into his second term, debate brewed.

I support marriage, which for me signifies two people who commit to their love — and there are no restrictions. However, it is not in my hands to convince others that this is the accepted definition and that there is no other alternative way to perceive marriage. And in this sense, I can’t help but praise Obama’s addressing of the issue.

As far as I’m concerned, our president is a political figure, not a religious one. Accordingly, our president should not take political actions on religious issues.

But there are certainly religious implications when it comes to marriage, especially same-sex marriage. In a May 2012 Gallup poll, 88 percent of those without a religious identity supported legalizing same-sex marriage while 67 percent of those who attended religious services weekly opposed it.

It isn’t up to our president to tell Americans that they must accept same-sex marriage. It isn’t our president’s job to impose a national stance that would violate many people’s religious beliefs. On the other hand, we can call on our democracy, the voice of the people. The real accomplishment behind the recent same-sex marriage legalizations is that it was a majority of the people in each state who supported it, not because one political figure had the ability to do so.

Same-sex marriage is not just a religious issue; it’s a civil rights issue too. It is the president’s duty as well as the Constitution’s to ensure that every American share the same civil rights, not just select groups. And so it was done, for the equality of women with the Nineteenth Amendment and for the equality of African-Americans by former President Lyndon Johnson with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But these issues are just not the same as same-sex marriage. LGBT people are not enslaved as African-Americans were, and LGBT people are not inhibited from voting or working as women were. LGBT people are faced with problems to a lesser degree than civil rights movements of the past and therefore have the ability to accomplish goals without relying entirely on the federal government.

Republicans and Democrats once stood divided on these issue, but today, through modernization, experience and legislation, issues such as these are no longer up for debate. But they just can’t seem to get it together with same-sex marriage yet. So why should we let political parties determine the worthiness, let alone the outcome of our civil rights? I call on Americans to push the gay agenda, with our president’s support echoing behind every push forward we make.

It wasn’t just the Electoral College that favored Obama, it was the majority of Americans as well — by nearly 3 million votes. And it was the majority of Americans in the states of Maryland, Maine and Washington that favored legalizing same-sex marriage, it was not Obama’s doings. I don’t want to live in a state where a pro-same-sex marriage ideal is forced upon its population by its government alone. I want to live in a state where the majority of people favor and embrace equality, not just because our president says so.

The LGBT community should not only feel accomplished once same-sex marriage is legalized in all 50 states. After America turned down same-sex marriage 32 times on the ballot since 1998, Americans legalized it in three states in a single election night.

It was Americans who elected Wisconsin’s Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay U.S. senator. It was Americans who elected Stacie Laughton, the first transgender lawmaker, to the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

Obama’s support certainly rings loud in the background, but its Americans that are at the front of this battle. Let’s show America that the people’s voices can speak louder than our president’s. That we can gain the momentum toward national equality state-by-state and not just by pounding a gavel.

Adam is a junior in ACES. He can be reached at [email protected].