On May 7, 2011, a young man named Tom Bridegroom fell to his death from a rooftop, leaving behind his devastated partner of six years, Shane Bitney Crone. Tom’s family had never accepted his relationship with Shane; in fact, members of Tom’s family attacked and threatened him when he told them he was gay. Because Shane and Tom could not legally marry, Shane was not entitled to any information regarding Tom’s death, memorial service, or burial arrangements (Crone). Tom’s family was able to move Tom’s body without notifying Shane, to keep Shane away from the memorial service, and to remove from Tom and Shane’s shared home any personal belongings that Tom’s family determined had belonged to Tom. Despite building a life together over the course of six years and even purchasing a home together, Tom and Shane had none of the protections provided by marriage. Without a marriage, their relationship was, in the eyes of the law, that of roommates.
There are approximately nine million individuals in the United States who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, and the majority of them aren’t able to legally marry in the state in which they reside (“Statistics and Facts About Gay or Lesbian Marriage”). Same-sex marriage is only legal in 16 states and the District of Columbia. Despite the majority of American citizens approving the legalization of homosexual marriage, it is either against state law or banned by state constitution in 33 states. Only one state, New Mexico, has no laws that either explicitly ban or allow same-sex marriage (“Same Sex Marriage Fast Facts”). As the residents of the 16 states that have legalized same-sex marriage can attest, numerous advantages coincide with the approval of homosexual marriage, and not j...
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Abstract On June 26, 2015 a divided Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples could now marry nationwide. At the time of the split ruling there were 9 supreme court justices, 5 of the justices were Republicans, and the remaining 4 were Democrats. In high profile cases it is except that the justices will vote along party lines. When the 5-4 ruling was reveled by the following statement. “It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right (Corn,2015).” written by
The constitutional right of gay marriage is a hot topic for debate in the United States. Currently, 37 states have legal gay marriage, while 13 states have banned gay marriage. The two essays, "What’s Wrong with Gay Marriage?" by Katha Pollitt and "Gay "Marriage": Societal Suicide" by Charles Colson provide a compare and contrast view of why gay marriage should be legal or not. Pollitt argues that gay marriage is a constitutional human right and that it should be legal, while Colson believes that gay marriage is sacrilegious act that should not be legal in the United States and that “it provides a backdrop for broken families and increases crime rates” (Colson, pg535). Both authors provide examples to support their thesis. Katha Pollitt provides more relevant data to support that gay marriage is a constitutional right and should be enacted as law in our entire country, she has a true libertarian mindset.
The legislatures of states are deeply involved in the public debate on how to define marriage, and argue whether marriage’s legal definition should be extended to same-gender couples. Currently, seventeen states and the District of Columbia have laws allowing same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage is prohibited in thirty-three states, and twenty-nine states outlaw same-gender unions in their state constitutions. The effects of special interest group lobbying for and against same-sex marriage legalization impact local and state governments, as well as states’ constitutions.
(2008, March 1). The Future of Children, Princeton - Brookings: Providing research and analysis to promote effective policies and programs for children. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
Throughout the recent history of America, gay marriage has always been an issue. With the different views and morals everyone has on the subject, it makes it hard for individual states to determine what side they should be on. In 1983 a Harvard Law School student, Evan Wolfson, wrote a thesis stating the rule of marriage equality. Justices concluded that gay couples were entitled to the legal benefits of civil marriage; and most crucially in the Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts, whose favorable ruling, in a suit by lawyer Mary Bonauto and the Boston-based Gay and Lesbian Advocated and Defenders, led to the nation’s first bona fide same-sex marriages…” (“Gay Marriage turns 10 and Credit Should Be Spread around- The Boston Globe). On May 17, 2004 Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriages. In June of 2013, California legalized gay marriages, which helped their large LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered) community. (“History and Timeline of the Freedom…”). When this finally happened, it was seen as a great achievement by Karmala Harris, a California Attorney. “This is a profound day in our country, and its just the right thing: ‘Justice is finally being served’” (“Court Gives OK for California Gay Marriages”).
A large majority of people in the United States will say that they are in favor of equal rights for homosexuals. They will all agree that homosexuals should have the same rights in housing, jobs, public accommodations, and should have equal access to government benefits, equal protection of the law, and other rights granted to US citizens. However, when the topic of marriage arises, all the talk of equality ceases. Over fifty percent of all people in the United States oppose homosexual marriage, despite the fact that most are otherwise supportive of homosexual rights. This means that many of the same people who are even passionately in favor of homosexual rights oppose homosexuals on this one issue. This is because there is a lot of misunderstanding about what homosexuality really is, as well as the erroneous assumption that homosexual people enjoy the same civil rights protections as everyone else. For the reasons of ending social injustice, the economic and social benefits of allowing homosexuals to marry, and the constitution, homosexual marriages should be a legalized institution.
Legal marriage is the right of all Americans regardless of their sexual orientation. Gay marriage is certainly a hot button issue. It invokes an emotional dialogue filled with passion, rage, hate and fear. However, at the base of it all, are two people who are in a committed relationship living normal and productive lives and contributing to society in a positive manner. This issue is being debated in every state of the union, and will eventually go to the Supreme Court.
The concept of same-sex civil unions have throughout the history of society, but have always come attached with a stigma and a hugely divided audience of interest. In 1970, the first same-sex couple applied for a marriage license in Hennepin, Minnesota and were denied. The couple decided to try a different county and were granted their license. This led to the Supreme Court case Baker v. Nelson, which ended up being eventually dismissed under the grounds of “a want of a substantial federal question”. However, several other cases involving same-sex marriage in the US have led to Supreme Court cases deciphering and interpreting our constitutional rights. From Baker v. Vermont to Perry v. Brown, the Supreme Court has interpreted a handful of legal disputes questioning ...
Everyday men and women across the country are being denied even the simplest civil rights because of whom they love. When growing up, the idea of marrying “the one” is everyone’s fairytale. But think of all those men and women that never get to experience their own fairytale because the law does not allow a legal marriage. By December 2013, 15 government states have legalized same sex marriage. There are many things that homosexuals are not able to do in this country. The first is no (legal) equal employment. This means that according to Federal law, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders (LGBTs) are not protected from discrimination in the workplace. The next thing that the LGBTs are not able to do is give blood. This ability was taken away in 1985 because there was speculation that men who are sexually active with other men are more likely to contract the HIV virus. In some states, gays are still not allowed to adopt children. People who are against same sex couples say that there is a g...
Same sex couples have been fighting for their equality for centuries. They’ve been beaten, bullied, shunned, and kicked out of their homes just because they don’t fit the “correct mold” by loving someone of the same gender. Change is finally starting to happen in America, though. In 2015, the supreme court ruled that same sex marriage should be protected by the constitution and the public views on this increased from 27% to 60% aproval (gaymarriage.procon.org 1).
America is a country known for its freedom, yet people are told who they can and cannot marry. According to Kim Richards a case in Hawaii in 1993 where judges said the state’s constitution required a good reason not to give gay’s equal marriage rights. Congress was pushed to pass the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prevented homosexuals who were allowed to marry from receiving the usual benefits of marriage, like taxes and retirement. In response states have made their stand on domestic partnerships and civil unions. DOMA was passed out of fear that a lawsuit filed in Hawaii would make them allow same sex marriage. The congress did not want to allow same sex couples the same benefits heterosexual couples receive while legally married (4-6). Opponents of DOMA claims it violates the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment and the Full Faith and Credit Clause. By 2002, thirty-six states banned same-sex marriage or recognizing of same-sex marriage formed in other states (Richards 4-6). Benjamin Wittes says the uproar began in 1991 when Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, and liberals became upset claiming it was a contradiction to our free country (46-48). Dayton says Massachusetts was the first state to sign the bill to allow marriage equality in their state. While republican opponents win the legislative fight with twenty-one states denying marriage equality while just ten have granted the rights to homosexual couples. Polls have shown the majority of America, even including one of our most liberal states, California, remains against gay marriage. After the bill passing in Massachusetts in 2003, thirteen states passed anti-gay-marriage initiatives. Gay right activists are in hopes that states will not follow (...
Same sex marriage is a very controversial topic in today’s society. We live in a society filled with ignorance. The ignorance that poisons the minds of people that oppose same sex marriage blinds them from the reality of the “problem”. People argue that same sex marriage should be illegal for reasons that will have no negative impact on their lives. The reality of this topic is that legalizing same sex marriage promotes the increase of adoption, human rights and equality, as well as the separation of the church and state.
Today’s society argues widely the correctness of same-sex marriage. Marriage for many people is believed to be a relationship between two people, preferably man and woman. The LGBT community battles for their right to marry without being denied by the government. The legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States has great importance for the future of marriage equality throughout the LBGT community. Same-sex marriage will not harm the function of society or other marriages in it, as well as being protected by the Constitution, and relieves lifelong discrimination.
You’re sitting in a church for your friend, Kathryn. She has invited you and a few other people to her wedding. As you watch her, you notice how happy she is about this marriage. Both partners say “I do,” and you hear the clergyman say, “I pronounce you wife and wife.” The church erupts with applause as your friend and her partner share their first kiss as a legally married couple. That is fantasy that has yet to come true for most homosexual couples. The war for same-sex marriage has yet to be won in America. Through multiple court cases, the gay rights movement has been fighting to give homosexuals the equality, respect and civil rights enjoyed by the rest of the nation.
Same-sex marriage is a broad and current controversy in the United States today. The movement to legalize same-sex marriage started in the 1970; however, it is still not legal in all fifty states yet (“Same-sex marriage in the United States”). Legalizing same-sex marriage should not be a debate. People should be able to marry who they love regardless of sexual orientation. Same-sex marriage should be legal because it is a human right, religion should not interfere with state laws, it does not adversely affect the heterosexual community in any way, and same-sex marriage can actually benefit our society.