In a 2011 survey by the Williams Institute, 3.5% of all adults in the United States identified as either lesbian, gay, or bisexual, implying that there are nearly 9 million LGB individuals (Gates 1). Despite this, same-sex marriage is only legalized in seventeen out of fifty states, as well as the District of Columbia (Freedom to Marry). In thirty-three states, the government has decided that it has the power to intervene in who its citizens want to marry and love, as if they could decide our friends and family. Though the question is often “Why should same-sex marriage be legalized?” no one seems to wonder “Why should I, or anyone else, have the power to choose who marries who?” Same-sex needs to be legalized throughout the United States because it is a human right.
Banning same-sex marriage is a violation of human rights. As American citizens, we have many rights and liberties. According to the Constitution, “all men are created equal … with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” How can we claim to be the land of the free when homosexuals and bisexuals are denied their own chase of happiness? In many states, same-sex couples are banned from legally celebrating their marriage in public, which is a hindrance to their happiness. In addition, according to Article 16 of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “Men and woman of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality, or religion, have the right to marry and found a family.” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights). Therefore, banning same-sex marriage is an explicit violation of human rights.
Legalizing same-sex marriage also means that it would be easier for same-sex couples to adopt child...
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Within America’s society today, 3.8 percent of the population is gay, lesbian, or bisexual. With only 17 of the 50 states legalizing and recognizing this type of relationship (“History…”), it puts a stronghold on same-sex couples to publicly declare their love with the promise of marriage. Same-sex marriages should be legalized because everyone has equal rights of freedom and liberty.
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.
Discrimintaion and equality in society is faced amongst people every day. One certain subject that seems to get most of this attention is whether or not homosexual couples should be able to adopt. Same sex couples should be able to adopt children for many reasons. Children that are raised by same sex parents are predominantly taught to be more open minded, have a greater sense of tolerance, and are thought of to be role models for equality in relationships and life. Most would say that these children will face issues regarding their parents sexual orientation, but this is not so. Children of same sex parents have studied to show very few differences in achievement, mental health, and social function as a child that is raised in a heterosexual household. Same sex parents will allow their child to express themselves through different talents and other attributes that there child seems to be indulged in. These children are often showing more loving, nurturing ,and outgoing behaviors that is exposed to them through gay parenting.
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.
Out of fifty states, only sixteen states allow gay adoptions while people in the other thirty-four states are either denied or sent to court to be determined by a complete stranger with no background information on the couple, whether or not they can take care of a child or not. According to “LGBT Adoption Statistics”, in 2012, 110,000 adopted children live with gay parents. Of the total amount of children in U.S. households, less than one percent lives with same-sex parents. If homosexuals were allowed to adopt, that one percent would rapidly increase. Sexual orientation of parents is not important when it comes to raising children; how the children are being raised and how the parents work together is what is truly important.
Originally colonizing for religious reasons in the 17th century, the United States of America has evolved since then into a nation that separates government and personal beliefs. Although the U.S claims that their church and state is separated, the issue of gay marriage is still a relevant issue today. Thoughts on same-sex marriage are primarily based off of religious beliefs, yet the U.S. government still believes it should control whether gays should be married or not. The U.S. should make gay marriage legal, because it is unconstitutional not to do so.
As granted by the United States Constitution, everyone is entitled to equal rights. The Supreme Court of the United States recently ruled that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. Gay rights are forgotten many times and equal rights for same-sex marriage are often ignored. For this reason, federal authorities have left policymaking regarding this topic up to individual state governments. Many people throughout the United States, and across the world, have extremely different views on the subject; some because of religious reasons, others because of family, others because of how they were raised. The policy of gay marriage and equal rights is an extremely touchy subject, and is much deeper than what it may seem.
As a United States citizen who was born in the new millennium, I was brought up with the idea that, as stated in the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This statement was one of the main sources of fuel for the Civil Rights Movements in the mid 1950’s/60’s in the United States. Minority groups have often been mistreated in the United States culminating in movements much like that of the women’s suffrage movement, civil rights movements and now a movement toward equality for the LGBTQIA. In the last few decades a new minority group, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and allies, and their struggle to attain their right to the pursuit of happiness. This small makes up roughly 4 percent of the US population. Though many say that gay marriage will weaken the moral foundation of our country, it should be legalized, not only because banning it is unconstitutional, but also because strips people of their human rights
...he the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause, banning same-sex marriage is completely unconstitutional and furthermore so is the Defense of Marriage Act. One of the greatest aspects of America is its promise to provide equality to all of its citizens and this is being compromised by the Defense of Marriage Act. In addition we must not forget that it is in each individual state’s rights to determine laws that are not previously stated in the constitution, and marriage is nowhere defined in it. When same-sex marriage is accepted in all states, America can move on with further upholding its standards of federalism and equality, and the promise of life, liberty and property to all citizens. Our country cannot be as prosperous and successful as we want it to be if we do not abide by the laws we set for ourselves - we are nothing if we are not constitutional.
In recent years, same-sex relationships have become more encompassing in US society. State legislation is changing such as accepting gay marriages, enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and legal gay adoptions; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community is becoming public. Gay-headed families, like heterosexuals, are diverse and varying in different forms. Whether a created family is from previous heterosexual relationships, artificial insemination, or adoption, it deserves the same legal rights heterosexual families enjoy. Full adoption rights needs to be legalized in all states to provide a stable family life for children because sexual orientation does not determine parenting skills, children placed with homosexual parents have better well-being than those in foster care, and there are thousands of children waiting for good homes.
Everybody’s morals and views on life are different. Most people’s morals and views are based on their religion. One of the main reasons the people opposing homosexual marriage give is “It offends God”. First off, this is America. Just shoving it in someone’s face that homosexual marriage is ‘wrong’ because it offends God, is wrong. You have to take in consideration that those people’s beliefs may be different of your own. In the Bible it says in Matthew 7:1-2 (the words of Jesus), “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others you will be judged, and with the measure you used, it will be measured to you.” It’s cruel to judge people by the way they love and who they love. It says in Genesis 1:31, “God saw all that he made and it was very good.” This right here proves to those who believe that God hates homosexuals that it is in correct. In the bible it does say that for a man to lie with another man as he would a woman is an abomination. Christians say it is a sin, but to judge these actions and to be cruel to these people is a sin. Opposing people have said that whenever one violates the natural moral order established by God, that they are sinning and same-sex marriage is doing exactly that. Well the people who have said that are judging the people who support same-sex marriage are also sinning. Religious churches oppose same-sex marriage. Not the sacred books or whatever. No where in the bible does it say a man cannot marry a man and a woman cannot marry a woman. It does say that the sexual relationship is a sin but what a couple does behind doors in none of anyone’s business. I can guarantee that most couples do not marry for the sex that is the emotional, loving relationship they share betwee...
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 ...
There is an abundance of children in the U.S. lacking a home and a family, that of which a gay couple could provide. Some states have legalized joint gay adoption, while others are still on the fence about it, and would rather not pass the law. A reason why those states should pass the law is, because of the foster care system. Many children, whether it’s a boy or girl, can jump to and from at least twenty homes before they turn 18. Some would be against the gay adoption, because they feel like the child would choose their sexual orientation based off what they see their adoptive parents doing. Those people fail to realize that having gay parents wouldn’t affect the child’s sexual preference. Just like having hetrosexcual parents cannot change a child from being gay. Lastly, another reason why gay adoption should be legalized nationwide is because, many people use their judgement from religious background to vote “NO” on joint gay adoption. When the 1st amendment clearly states that there needs to be a separation between church and
In conclusion I argue that banning same-sex marriage is discriminatory. It is discriminatory because it denies homosexuals the many benefits received by heterosexual couples. The right to marriage in the United States has little to do with the religious and spiritual meaning of marriage. It has a lot to do with social justice, extending a civil right to a minority group. This is why I argue for same-sex marriage. The freedom to marry regardless of gender preference should be allowed.