Homosexuality in America
One of the most controversial topics in modern American society is the legalization of homosexual marriage. The gay community is currently experiencing emotional and physical violence against them based on a difference in cultural choices, similar to what the black community suffered through during the civil rights movement and what women underwent during the women’s suffrage era. Laws against gay marriage are unconstitutional, as most were created because of Christian politicians’ opinions on homosexuality; however, America is not a Christian nation, and homosexuals should not be banned from marriage based on the beliefs of certain religions. As a country founded on freedom of cultural expression, America should legalize gay marriage.
Homosexuality has several standard arguments against it, and all can be shown to be unjustifiable or invalid. The first of these arguments is that homosexuality is unnatural. The reality is that homosexuality is more natural than marriage itself. Marriage is a societal institution that was created by humanity as a way to bond two humans together in love, thus making it an unnatural concept (Lipp). Homosexuality has been an existing practice in society for ages, with homosexual ideas being mentioned by people such as Plato in the Symposium and Aristophanes in some of his plays (Pickett). Homosexuality exists as naturally as heterosexuality does, it was just not as conveyed as openly in former eras as it is today; marriage itself is the truly unnatural idea.
Another reason why homosexuality is unaccepted is that most religions are against it, arguing that marriage is a “religious institution.” Marriage, however, is not a religious institution. As defined by the Merriam-We...
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...age Equality Apparently Have Nothing To Do With Gay People.” Thinkprogress.org. Thinkprogress, 21 May, 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.
Herek, Dr. Gregory M. “Facts About Homosexuality and Mental Health.” Psychology.ucdavis.edu. University of California, 2012. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.
Lipp, Murray. “The Top 10 Arguments Against Gay Marriage: All Receive Failing Grades!” Huffingtonpost.com. Huffpost Gay Voices, 28 May 2013. Web. 3 Nov. 2013.
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. M-W. Web. 3 Nov. 2013.
Messerli, Joe. “Should Same-Sex Marriages be Legalized?” Balancedpolitics.org. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
Pickett, Brent. “Homosexuality.” Plato.stanford.edu. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 6 Aug. 2002. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.
Procon.org. “Should Gay Marriage Be Legal?” Gaymarriage.procon.org. 21 Oct. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
Withoutafather.com “Did you Know?” Withoutafather.com. Web. 8 Nov. 2013.
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.
Tori, DeAngelis. "New data on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Mental Health." www.apa.org/monitor/feb02/newdata.aspx . N.p., 12 february 2002. Web. 9 Apr 2014.
The American debate on homosexuality reveals an unquestionable, though awfully uninvited, fusion between religion and politics, revealing a dangerous lack of separation between the church and state. The concern is not about the presence of spirituality in American politics, but the implications institutionalized religion has on the lives and rights of human beings. Nothing hinders the political and social progress of lesbian women and gay men quite like the complexities of religion. Dating back to the beginning of literature itself, homosexuality is far from modern. Nonetheless, homosexuality is currently the most divisive and fiercely debated topic in recent religious discourse. While most Christians maintain allegiance in labeling same-sex relationships as morally wrong, the church is dramatically divided on the proper place for gays and lesbians in American society and of course, American politics.
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.
One argument that opponents use is that homosexual sex is “unnatural.” If the definition of unnatural means something unusual, homosexual sex could be considered unnatural, however, this is completely untrue. Some people claim homosexuality is immoral because animals do not practice homosexuality. The fact is, there are certain animals that do practice homosexuality, and therefore, that argument is invalid.
All citations from Cahill, Lisa. “Homosexuality: A Case Study in Moral Argument.” Homosexuality in the Church. Ed. By Jeffrey Siker. Westminster John Knox Press: Louisville, 1994. 61-75.
It is very reasonable to conclude that research on depression of those who identify as gay, lesbian or transsexual is not accurate; there is an underreporting of people who identify as these sexual orientations because of the fear of being different. It is understood that those apart of the LGBTQ community actively hide their identity in hopes to avoid being rejected or abused (Bird, 2013). Once the reporting issue of having a smaller percentage of the actual representation of the LGBTQ population is put aside, there is evidence that highly suggests that lesbians and gay men are at higher risk for psychiatric disorders than heterosexuals (Cochran, 2001). Even after underreporting, there is still enough information to conclude that sexual discrimination can have harmful effects on the quality of life. Common factors that have been observed in lesbians and gays that can potentially increase depression during Cochran's study are anxiety and mood disorders and decreased self esteem. Cochran and her partner also noted that dissatisfaction with how one is treated beca...
The LGBTQIA community has faced strong opposition from groups falling outside this minority for years, primarily conservative and religious groups. This phenomenon is not particular to the United States, but spans hundreds of countries across the world. Religious leaders in varying religions not only oppose the act of marriage, but often times oppose the actual act of homosexual behavior. Often religious oppositionist will cite religious text, like the Bible as a means of opposing the LGBTQIA lifestyle. One of the most blatant oppositions to homosexual b...
There is very little research that has been done in the past on the mental health of LGBT individuals. In 1997 the federal center for Mental Health Services called for information to be compiled on the topic (Lucksted 3). Most of the information came from small publications, grass root information and self-reporting and even this information was incomplete because of the lesser reporting on people of the transgender and bisexual communities. This older report shows what the state of affairs was in ...
Halperin, D. M. "How To Do The History Of Male Homosexuality." GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 6.1 (2000): 87-123. Web.
My arguments will be ignoring a major element in factoring the morality of homosexuality, the law. Yes, many people know that stealing and murder are both wrong, but this is based on socialization and learning passed down from previous generations. The aim isn’t to ignore the rules, but examples from history relating to homosexuality will not aid in proving ground for its ethics. A rational, autonomous decision making process must be used in order to decipher right from wrong, which can lead to solid, concrete answers.
Bell, A.P. and Weinberg, M.S. "Homosexualities: A Study of Human Diversity". New York: Simon & Schuster, 1978.
There are many opponents of gay people as it is, and they all have their reasons to dislike the idea of permitting them get married. One of the main reasons is that the primary purpose of marriage is procreation. Because gay couples are unable to have children, they should not be allowed to marry (Schiffen 495). Another main argument is that the word marriage means the union of one man and one woman. This is a long-standing theme of most major Western religions. Under a proposed bill known as the Defense of Marriage act, marriage is defined as “a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.” Furthermore, it defines a spouse as “ a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife” (What 1). Under these guidelines, it is quite obvious that gay couples would not be eligible for marriage. People against homosexual marriage also say that it is a person’s choice to be gay. Since the individual chooses to be a homosexual, they should not be given special privileges. Another argument that you hear is that these couples should not get married simply because of the torment and ridicule they would be faced with in their everyday lives. There are news reports from across America telling about how a gay person was beaten or killed just because they were looked at as different. Some of these people would end up the target of verbal abuse and maybe even physical abuse, just because some heterosexual people see them as different.
Firstly I will discuss the reasons for marriage equality. I argue marriage equality is in the best interest for family life. Allowing homosexuals to form stable committed relationships through marriage would allow for healthier homosexual relationships. You can’t prevent people from being homosexual however giving those people the right to marry can help them experience greater personal happiness. Studies have suggested that not only does legalizing marriage in an area generally make homosexual individuals in that area happier; it also makes them physically and mentally healthier and saves them money on health care (Hatzenbuehler, O’Cleirigh, Grasso, Mayer, Safren, & Bradford, 20012). I don’t see any compelling reason to take away the joy homosexuals get from marriage, this is one of the many reasons I support marriage equality.
Denying people to get married is a form of discrimination. People are being treated differently because of their sexual orientation and it is morally wrong. Gay marriage has no effect on heterosexuals. So why are so many heterosexuals against it? The arguments against gay marriage are unreasonable. Some believe that being gay is unnatural or influences children to be gay. Studies show that there is no difference between children raised by same sex or straight couples.