Marriage has been a part of society from the earliest of time. The joining of one man and one woman has been celebrated by many. We are taught to be the “perfect” husband or wife or at least the skills it takes in order to be considered a “perfect” husband or wife. We’re taught to love each other through sick and poor and all the battles we will face together. Over time, marriage has changed. Marriage, once a strong bond between man and wife, is now simply a flimsy piece of paper that has no strength to keep them together. Divorces that was once frowned upon and not even an option at one point, happens constantly. The person you swore to love could leave at any moment but that is the worries that come with marriage. Like time, marriage has changed and we now have different expectations of marriage. Marriages could be arranged, loveless, or simply for someone to benefit from either money wise or federal wise. The one thing about marriage that has been fought over for years is gay marriage. Gay marriage, although approved in many countries, has been a struggle throughout America. With only a couple states approving gay marriage, it is still frowned upon by many. Many don’t see the true effect gay marriage could have on society in the United States. Gay marriage should be legalized because times are changing, marriage is a legal right and with gay marriage, there is an improvement in the economy and society itself.
The mind set of America and Americans are evolving with society. America is constantly changing so we have learned to adapt to what society considers the “norm”. What Americans want and what they accept are changing so our laws change with it. Many states have created laws to legalize gay marriage and have found laws that...
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...ther than there should be no limitation to them binding their relationship through marriage. To be able to go around saying that this is your husband or wife even though you are a homosexual couple is something to be proud of especially in this day and age.
Works Cited
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Blank, Hanne. Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality. Boston: Beacon,
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"The Defense of Marriage Act." Freedom to Marry. Freedom to Marry Inc, n.d. Web. 10 Mar.
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"Gay Marriage." ProConorg Headlines. ProCon.org, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
Brown, Barrett. "Adventures in math and marriage: or why gay does marriage does not decrease straight marriage." Skeptic [Altadena, CA] 14.4 (2009): 13+. Academic OneFile. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
Heterosexuals have enjoyed the right to marry throughout recorded history, though there have been restrictions placed over who could marry that have been overc...
Marriage is a very crucial topic today, people are fighting over beliefs and this happens to be one. In the media it is an argument about which group is right. There are rallies and parades for homosexuals trying to get equal rights. After the law of SCOTUS (allowing people of the same gender to get married)
The world today is surrounded with many controversial issues. One such issue would be the topic of gay marriage. This country has grown around one major tradition, being the definition of marriage. It’s more-less looked at as a religious or legal commitment between a women and man, to express their love and compassion towards one another, being the last and final step there is to take with that significant other. Homosexual relationships are rapidly gaining acceptance in this country. However, the Defensive of Marriage Act, that former president Clinton signed in 1996, is holding many back from being able to marry what could be the significant other of their dreams. Homosexuality effects from 8% to 15% of all males, as well as females being slightly less than the male population. To put this in a more familiar context, there are as many gays and lesbians in America today as there are unemployed citizens. There are a few states which formed a type of commitment called a "civil union", which basically is marriage without using the word "marriage." Gay couples are denied significant rights when they are not allowed to marry, and these result in injustices within society. Most carry the burden of hiding their sexual identity for fear of being disrespected or mistreated by the general population who remain ignorant to the causes and circumstances of homosexuality. This puzzles many due to the excess amount of investigative work that has been done on the phenomenon, as well as puzzling the church as to who would want to look into the concept in such a sinful matter.
With the economic support, the adoption rates rising, and the equality same-sex couples deserve, gay marriage deserves to be legalized throughout the nation and the world. Rejecting the right of marriage to these couples hurts them and the way they are able to live their lives. Everyone deserves marriage and life equality despite the person they love because we have equality rights based on us as an individual, not on who we decide to love.
Sean Brotherson of the Department of Child Development and Family Science at North Dakota State University claims that over the last decade or so the government institutions in America have scrambled to uphold and protect the sacred union of marriage. The author faults changes in societal norms, as well as inadequately prepared people entering the realm of marriage for increasing divorce rates, more frequent cohabitation and decline of marriage rate. Brotherson develops his thesis by citing quite a few specific cases of legislations that were thoroughly supported by the government, but were not passed into law. He gives many statistics of marriage and divorce rates over the last decade or so, as well as the plausible reasons these trends are becoming prevalent. For example, Brotherson states that same-sex marriage has not been a genuine issue until the last decade or two, and that it could account for some of the current problem. It is clear that the author is opinionated about this topic, but he backs his argument with solid evidence and statistics. The statistics that Brotherson uses in this article will be very helpful in proving that a declining marriage rate is a genuine problem that should be dealt with steadfastly.
The United States is a country built on a number of ideals and institutions. The moral structure of many Americans today was developed by our ancestors and the founders of this nation through the institutions that were a part of their lives. Family, religion, marriage, equality, and justice are just a few examples of the important components that provide a moral basis for our country. If any of these elements were to become too mutated, the effects on society could be devastating. Right now in the United States, one of these building blocks of society is being threatened by the possibility of a negative transformation. The building block of marriage as the sacred joining of one man and one woman is under attack and is at risk of being destroyed. People in favor of gay marriage want to change marriage to the joining of two people of either sex, which goes against what the purpose of marriage has been and why it is important to society and religion. People who are in opposition to same-sex marriage are eagerly expressing their opinions with religious and cultural reasons that show how this change could impact our society forever.
Spedale, Darren. Gay Marriage: For Better or For Worse? What We've Learned From the Evidence. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.
Imagine someone telling you that you were not allowed to marry the person you are in love with just because they are the same sex as is. Imagine being harassed and treated completely different just because you are in a relationship with someone of the same gender as you. Now more than ever, same-sex marriage is a topic that is often discussed. In 2010, there were approximately 646,000 same-sex couples in the United States according to the 2010 decennial census, (Lofquist, 2010). As of Jan. 6, 2014, gay marriage has been legalized in 17 of the 50 states, (procon.org, 2014). For a very brief amount of time, Michigan was the 18th state that allowed gay couples to marry, but now it joins Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Texas. These states have had courts overturn gay marriage bans, but they still have pending appeals.
During the fight against slavery and segregation, America realized that public opinion can be wrong. The movement for women’s rights brought about the knowledge that the government has had more control over civil rights than previously believed. Both historical movements arose from a common belief: despite public opinion, the government should protect the freedoms outlined in the constitution. Current societal issues related to marriage reflect this principle; however, authors Cherlin and Bennett would disagree on the connection being made. Cherlin acknowledges that momentum in the fight for homosexual equality has been attained by the degradation of the marital structure. As family structure among heterosexual couples is more often dysfunctional and more commonly broken down, a question arises of whether or not homosexual marriages radically affect society any more than this. Cherlin makes the implication that, if no compelling state interest can be found against gay marriage legalization, keeping it illegal would be a civil inequity. Bennett would contend that with this momentum, society may be blindly crossing a line. Divorce rates and out of wedlock births have skyrocketed due to legal changes in the availability of marriage and divorce documents. He points out that these negative effects will only increase with further law changes. “Indeed,
... gay marriage should not be as controversial of a topic then it is. Even though there are religious thoughts about gay marriage and homosexuality, people are getting that information from books that were written millions of years ago and they are not even sure of who wrote them. Even though people are ultimately afraid of the unknown and change, both, which are included in legalizing gay marriage. I believe that people should brush up on their knowledge of homosexuality, gay marriage, and what gay marriage would do to our society before they make create an opinion about the matter; which could ultimately affect the opinion of people around them. I also believe that love is love no matter what way you think of it, we are all humans who just want the same rights for everyone. Imagine if you were in a gay persons shoes, would you think the same way about gay marriage?
Wardle, Lynn D. "The Movement To Substitute Generic Adult Intimate "Relationships" For "Marriage”." Marriage and Same-sex Unions: A Debate. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003. 195. Print.
Same-sex relationships should not be limited because it is different, or strange, in certain eyes. George Clooney said: “At some point in our lifetime, gay marriage won't be an issue, and everyone who stood against this civil right will look as outdated as George Wallace standing on the school steps keeping James Hood from entering the University of Alabama because he was black.” Change is inevitable. Gay rights have already grown and become more inclusive, and no religious beliefs or family concerns or civil rights issues will stop them from growing more. Love is love, and marriage is the greatest way of expressing it, which is why it should be open to everyone.
Can a person imagine being told that they cannot marry the person that they love most? Or a person being told that they do not have the same rights as most people? All over the world people fight for LGBTQ rights and laws, like same sex marriage. All fifty states and countries around the United States have people fighting for the right to love who they want to love, some cases being stronger than others. Marriage should be a right for any two consenting adults, no matter what their orientation is, **three examples**.
Laycock, Douglas, Anthony R. Picarello, and Robin Fretwell. Wilson. Same-sex Marriage and Religious Liberty: Emerging Conflicts. [Washington, D.C.]: Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, 2008. Print.
Why isn’t gay marriage legal yet? How does gay marriage affect people that aren’t gay? Why does it matter to those people? Why can’t gay people have the same rights as straight people? Gay marriage should be legal worldwide. Gay marriage or same-sex marriage is when a man and man or women and a woman get married. Same-sex marriage impacts society in different types of ways, some people are affected by it because they think it is against the bible, others seem to have no impact or problem with same-sex marriage. However for the gay community it affects them, because in some states they are not allowed to marry the one they are in love with it. Also it impacts them because there are groups of people against same-sex marriage and the gay community is constantly being judged by people opposed to same-sex marriage. Seventeen states have legalized same-sex marriage; Thirty-three states banned same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage provides a more stable environment for children of gay couples. Legalizing same-sex marriage does not affect or harm heterosexual marriages. Marriage is a union of love, not a union of genders.