Throughout time, many have fought for the rights they believed they deserved and those guaranteed by the constitution. With each of these battles, those seen as “below the majority” were usually victorious. With that said, there is an inevitable future for the homosexual community to be eventually equal to everyone else. The question remains, what justifies the right for a gay couple to have the same benefits as a heterosexual couple? Gay marriage has been a wide spread issue for quite a bit of time and multiple arguments have been made as to why it should not occur, but none of them stand valid against rights provided by the constitution. Many individuals are quite passionate about the issue whether it is in hopes to get a law passed for their own benefit or to help others who will be finally able to join in union with their one true love.
The debatable argument of whether or not gay marriage should be legal has always intrigued me and been a topic, which I am quite passionate. Personally, I believe that everyone should be equal despite his or her sexual orientation. Even though I am not a relative to, close to, or am homosexual, I still feel a strong sense of devotion towards the fight for the legalization of gay marriage due to my beliefs and morals. I do not feel that it is right to deny a group of specific people the benefits guaranteed to everyone else. My life would not be directly affected if a law was passed promising every one of any sexual orientation the right to wed, but I hope to be a part in gaining that benefit for those that have been previously denied it. Also in the process of researching, I hoped to gain an understanding of whether or not the arguments of those who oppose equality can disconfirm the reasons ...
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...Helfman, T. (2013). Gay Marriage, the Court, and Federalism. Commentary, 135(5), 18-21.
Kmiec, Douglas. "Same-Sex Couples: Not all Rights are Equal." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
Newton, David. "Same-Sex Couples: Same-Sex Marriage is Already Legal—Why is It Against the Law?." Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
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Zorn, Eric. "The Top Six Arguments against Gay Marriage (and Why They All Fail).” ChicagoTribune.com. Chicago Tribune, 20 May 2012. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
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? .
A debate is raging in America about who people have a right to marry. In response to lesbians and gays asking for the right to marry, many legislators are writing laws to ban same-sex marriage in their respective states. Even President Bush supports a Constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage (prez.bush.marriage/). Opponents of such legislation do not want discrimination passed into law and are protesting at every opportunity. One must understand the reasons that people want to ban same-sex marriage before he or she can effectively argue about the subject. Many advocates of same-sex marriage bans say that allowing gays and lesbians to marry would degrade the institution of marriage because marriage is only supposed to exist between a man and woman. In addition, allowing same-sex marriage would cause problems for society (Issues and Controversies on File). One theory why opponents may fight against same-sex marriages is that heterosexual marriages have long reinforced traditional gender roles within marriage and that allowing same-sex marriages would cause males to lose their authority to subordinate females as heterosexual couples begin to model same-sex marriage gender equality (Calhoun 157).
Newton, D. E. (2010). Same-sex Marriage : A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Publishing Group.
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.
Kennedy, Dorothy M., and Jane E. Aaron. " What's Wrong with Gay Marriage?." The Bedford Reader. By X. J. Kennedy. 11th ed. Boston: St. Martin’s, 2012. 570-572. Print.
Winn, P. (2003). Q&A: why not same-sex marriage. Citizen Link. Retrieved April 25, 2004, from http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0028908.cfm
Wolfson, Evan. Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print.
Wilson, Q. James. “Against Homosexual Marriage.” Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Political Issues. Guilford, Connectitcut: Dushkin Publishing Group, 1997. Print.
Stoddard, Thomas. “Gay Marriage: Make Them Legal”. Current Issues and Enduring Questions. Pages 31 – 52. Bedford Books. Boston. 1996
Bidstrup, Scott. "Gay Marriage, The Arguments and the Motives." bidstrup.com. Scott Bidstrup, 2000. Web. 14 Jul 2010. .
Rauch, Jonathan. "The Government Should Sanction Gay Marriage, Not Domestic Partnerships." Homosexuality. Ed. Paul Connors. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Current Controversies. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 16 Apr. 2011.
Stoddard, T, Fein, B, (Jan. 1990) Gay Marriage, Personal relationships, Marriage, Legislation, Homosexuality, American Bar Association, (Pages 42, 42)
Redlingshafer, JoEllen. "The LGBT Movement Must Look Past Gay Marriage." Policymic. Policymic, 2013. Web. 23 Sept. 2013.
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.