Should Same-Sex Marriage Be Legalized?

Should same-sex marriage be legalized?

The same-sex marriage issue has ignited worldwide. Joseph Chamie- the previous director- and Barry Mirkin-the previous Population Policy Section Chief- of the UN’s Population Division aim to present up-to-date statistics and information on the same-sex marriage debate in “Same-Sex Marriage: A New Social Phenomenon.” They mention that same-sex marriage is a “recent phenomenon” that will possibly stick around for years in many countries because societal, religious, and legislative controversies continually revamp its debate (544). The issue is labeled “recent” because “…SSM [same-sex marriage] did not exist until the twenty-first century when an increasing number of countries began permitting same-sex couples to marry legally” (Chamie and Mirkin 529). The writers report that, as of mid-2011, 10 countries, Mexico City, seven states in the US, and Washington DC, have made same-sex marriage legal (531). “Thus, 319 million people, or 5 percent of world population, live in jurisdictions that recognize same-sex marriage” (Chamie and Mirkin 531). In the US, 40 states have rulings prohibiting same-sex marriage where, in 29, the prohibitions are voter-backed blocking judges from overturning the legislation (Chamie and Mirkin 537). The statistics confirm that “… in the United States, the country remains divided over same-sex marriage” (Chamie and Mirkin 537).

The division in opinions here, at home, is no clearer than when analyzing the polar perspectives of La Shawn Barber (a freelance writer that has appeared in many well known radio stations and newspapers such as the Washington Post), and Anna Quindlen (a nationally acclaimed writer and a contributing editor for Newsweek magazine). Barber posted ...

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...iduals on one side have not taken time to understand individuals on the other, and no common ground is used to merge the two sides together on a debate that can quickly intensify. It is as simple as basic geometry. A fundamental law teaches that between any two points no matter how distant, there is always a line that unites both.

Works Cited

Barber, La Shawn. "Interracial Marriage: Slippery Slope?" The St. Martin's Guide to Writing. By Rise B. Axelrod. New York: St. Martin's, 1985. 256-57. Print.

Chamie, Joseph, and Barry Mirkin. "Same-Sex Marriage: A New Social Phenomenon.” Population & Development Review 37.3 (2011): 529-551. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Mar. 2012.

Quindlen, Anna. "The Loving Decision." The St. Martin's Guide to Writing. By Rise B. Axelrod. New York: St. Martin's, 1985. 258-59. Print.

(This essay is property of Martin Zendejas)