Legalize Same-Sex Couple Marriages in Florida
The purpose of this paper is to discuss why same-sex couples should be allowed to get married in the state of Florida. LBGT (lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender) having been fight for their rights for years and recently marriage has become a big issue because LBGT are standing up for their rights. Same-Sex marriage has become a major issue. So major in fact, that it is considered unconstitutional. Same-sex couple want to have the same martial rights and families as heterosexual couples. Some homosexual couples are passing away and their partners are losing their rights to claim their partner’s assets. The current approach for same-sex couple marriage needs to be changed because individuals are letting their religious beliefs pass laws that restrict homosexual couples from becoming married and have the same rights as married heterosexual couples. The reasoning given from individuals behind this is that marriage should be one man and one woman for the children’s sake. All the States need to allow for all citizens to have equal rights with the United States Constitution and without defending conservatives or religious associations.
Marriage signifies love to same-sex couples in the same way as it signifies to everyone. Same-sex couples would like to get married to make a lifetime commitment to that special somebody they love and want to protect their families. When a couple gets married it is one of the few times when a couple can make a public promise to and in front of their friends and family to love and be accountable for each other. Same-sex couples may seem dissimilar from heterosexual couples, however they share similar beliefs. One of the most important values they share are t...
... middle of paper ...
...shed or religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” These laws that support religious beliefs and is against people practicing personal beliefs are contradicting the First Amendment. Same-sex couples have been advocating for their rights for many years. If we are in a democratic society we should not be ignoring them. My recommendation for same-sex marriage is to allow all citizens to be married no matter their sexual preference. Same-sex couples should be recognized in every state as well as federally, with same legal rights, opportunities, and benefits afforded to a heterosexual couples. Acknowledgement of freedom of religion will still exist however, religion should not be the factor on whether same-sex couples could get married. Being able to get married is a constitutional civil right to liberty and equality for all citizens of the United States.
In a country with it’s fundamentals based on liberty and equality, America has always struggled with those very concepts. Throughout history, Americans have been challenged to make decisions that have oppressed and freed certain groups of people. The political fight for same-sex marriages is a perfect example of this notion. This relation between spouses has created a major controversy that is creating history in our nation. A series of protests, acts and political scandal has finally opened America to discuss a topic that had been in “the closet” for a long time. This discussion asks questions that have caused a visceral reaction in society. Questions such as whether gays and lesbians should marry, and if so, should they be granted the same matrimony rights as heterosexual couples? Should marriage be protected to fit traditional American values? How would these unions affect or contribute to our definition of such a celebrated institution? .
Love always plays an indispensable role in our life while lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders are found in all age groups, all social classes, and all nations. Thus, it is obvious that homosexual marriage is one of the most biggest concerns. However, in contemporary life, some people are far more open-minded and support to this issue. Particularly, there are twenty-one countries which legalize same-sex marriage. This kind of marriage should be respected and accepted like heterosexual marriage. In spite of objections, this essay will highlight the main reasons that homosexuals should have equal right to marry.
Gay and lesbian couples deserve for their commitment to each other to be viewed with equality on a legal and social level. There are numerous rights withheld from same-sex couples when they are denied the liberty to marry. For example, same-sex couples are usually not considered next-of-kin. In medical situations this means that they are unable to visit their partner in the hospital, or have a say in life-or-death medical decisions (Wolfson). Recently, two reporters from the New York Times calculated that same-sex couples can lose as much as $500,000 over their lifetime, because they are unable to receive employers' spousal health insurance, as well as other disadvantages (Badgett, 2013). On top of the legal issues faced by homosexual couples, they also face discrimination daily. Social acceptance of gay marriage cannot be mandated, but with legalization, gay marriage will eventually become a social ...
The United States is known world wide for its civil rights and freedoms. Many Americans are appalled by the idea of same-sex marriages. What?s wrong with the idea of two people who care greatly for one another wanting to spend their lives together? The gay community is misunderstood because many straights are not willing to listen. These individuals would rather just be closed-minded in this situation and reticent to really think about what this means to the gay community and the country. Same sex couples are not asking for any special rights; they are just asking to be treated equal with opposite sex couples. The explanations given by many Americans against gay marriages are based on false assumptions and unsubstantiated arguments. However, the real and unspoken reasons many heterosexuals have against same-sex marriages are based on religious beliefs.
As of today 14 out of 50 states allow same sex marriage, all other 36 states have banned same sex marriage or doesn’t have any laws against it or for it. For years same sex couples have fought for their right to be able to get marry, and for years they have been shut down due to many reasons: religion, traditions, it’s abnormal, it’s not natural, it defeats the concept of marriage, children needs both a male and female role model in their life to be successful and many more.
Love Has No Gender Everyone wants happiness and to be loved by someone unconditionally. No matter the gender or race of the person, everyone just wants to be loved. Many people are against men dating men or women dating women. There are those people who say religion is the reason they are against it. These people strongly believe that gay marriage is the world’s biggest sin.
... Top Ten Harms of Same-sex Marriage” by Peter Sprigg “religious freedom not only applies to formal houses of worship of worship, but at home, in their neighborhoods, and in the workplace”(2). With same-sex marriage being legalized there is no more religious freedom. Catholic schools that are completely against welcoming same-sex couples in their schools will no longer have a choice. Churches where same-sex couples are not welcome, no longer have a choice but to welcome them. Employers that are religiously against same-sex couples can no longer discriminate them for their sexual orientation but instead for their work ethics. Same-sex marriage being legalized is unconstitutional, it completely conflicts with the first amendment which gives people the right to exercise their religion freely. But with same-sex marriage being legalize their religious freedom is limited.
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 (...
Gay and lesbian unions have been for a long time a subject that no one liked to discuss. For the last few decades, gays and lesbians have come out and expressed their sexuality preferences. Many believe that same sex marriage should not be legalized because it's against the moral. It's against the definition of marriage, which is considered as the union of a man and a woman as a husband and wife. Same sex marriage should be legalized because the way society views the union of lesbian and gays can a change. Another reason why same sex marriage should be legalized is that children that are issued from a gay or lesbian couple will be loved and raised in a family that is legally recognized under the law. Lesbians and gays also deserve to have the same rights as heterosexuals.
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.
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.
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.
The legality of gay marriage is a hot topic for many reasons. Traditionally marriage has been known as a legal bond between a man and a woman. Times have changed since those days. More and more people are coming out of the closet everyday. There are more gay people today than there ever have been and that number is only increasing. Marriage is a way for two people to show their commitment towards each other, so it should not matter what their gender or sexual orientation is.
Should same sex marriage be legal over the United States? Well yes, why you ask because people have the right to marry whomever they want regardless of same sex marriage or opposite sex marriage, which if two people love each other they spend their life with each other, or marry each other. Although same sex marriage is considered as a disgrace throughout the United States. Same sex marriage can be a benefit towards society, which can boost self-esteem. Also, homosexual people have the same rights as any other citizen(s). This paper will talk about same sex marriage pro and cons, and how it shaped the society today.
First, it is unconstitutional for federal law to ban same sex marriage. In its 2003 Lawrence v. Texas case, the Supreme Court overruled previous sexuality precedents by declaring unconstitutional laws that made homosexual sodomy a crime, holding that although the Constitution says nothing about sex or marriage, there is nonetheless a right to consensual sexual activity between adults that government cannot regulate. This was over the vigorous dissent of conservative justices, who said that the Constitution commits such questions of marriage and morality to the states and the democratic process, and that therefore federal courts have no power to impose their own moral judgments. Despite this realization, homosexual couples have been restricted for decades. The “Defense of Marriage Act” was signed into effect in 1996. This act “amends the Federal judicial code to provide that no state, territory, or possession of the United States or Indian tribe shall be required to give effect to any marriage between persons of the same sex under the laws of any other such jurisdiction or to any right or claim arising from such relationship.” This act also sets into play a federal definition of “marriage” and “spouse”; marriage being defined as “only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife” and spouse being defined as “only a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife”.