Homosexual Marriages: Two Sides of the Story

The topic of homosexual marriages, or the marrying of two people of the same sex, is rather disputed among the majority of people in today’s society. Only small amounts of the population have opinions that are strongly favoring one side of the debate. For most of society who are the middle-of-the-road citizens, it is a tough call to make one way or the other. The main topics that are disputed are raising children in a same-sex household, the capacity of churches to allow such a marriage, and the integrity of a marriage as a legal document. These arguments will be expressed through the viewpoints of Andrew Sullivan and William Bennett. Sullivan is the author of the essay “Let Gays Marry” which was printed by Newsweek in June of 1996. William Bennett also contributed his essay to Newsweek in 1996 which was entitled “Leave Marriage Alone”.

Andrew Sullivan expresses his opinion in which he believes that homosexuals should have the right to get married. Sullivan’s main idea is that the marriage of gays should not be illegal. They are human beings just like you and I, “the sons and daughters of countless mothers and fathers” (Sullivan 25) and should have the same opportunities to pursue happiness by marrying the one that they love. Sullivan does not want churches to change their practices, just to allow everyone to be themselves, a principle that the United States was created on. Sullivan presents his case in a very logical fashion, calmly displaying his points there in the text for all to see. I believe that Sullivan has an effective introduction. He uses a statement declared by the United States Supreme Court which states, “A state cannot deem a class of persons a stranger to its laws” (Sullivan 25). Plus, the concept of marriage ...

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...y of polygamous marriages. Bennett says marriage is about the raising of children and creation of a family. Sullivan, on the contrary, brings up the fact that many notable “childless heterosexual couples” exist in today’s society such as Senator Bob Dole and his wife Elizabeth Dole (Sullivan 26).

In conclusion, as seen from the two texts contrasted in this essay, homosexual marriages are quite a controversial topic. Both Andrew Sullivan and William Bennett present convincing and provocative arguments for their respective sides. The main topics that are disputed are raising children in a same-sex household, the capacity of churches to allow such a marriage, and the integrity of a marriage as a legal document. In my own personal opinion, I believe that homosexual marriages should be allowed because they are people just like you and I as Sullivan has already stated.