When most people think of the United States, they have a vision of an “All American Family”. This included a family who owned a large home with a white fence. Inside you would find a flawless housewife, a hard working husband who puts bread on the table, and perfectly groomed caucasian children who can do no harm. Over time, this image has been altered a bit. The children may have darkened a bit and may have no longer been caucasian because of laws passing interracial marriages around the 20th century due to Loving V. Virginia (Melina Patria). By the 1960s, the women’s rights movement was in full motion switching male and female roles drastically(Human right’s watch). The home may have no longer been spacious and big with the stock market crash of 1929(First Member Century). Its 2013 and there may be another possible alteration; same sex marriage. Even though same sex marriage may be a sensitive issue with people, as a society, we have to stop turning a blind eye to the subject and address it. The LGBT community is facing discrimination on several different levels. The gay community is being denied their civil rights and the United States is denying themselves several benefits that same sex marriage could contribute. Same sex couples could potentially help us reduce the number of orphans, same sex couples have a right to the same marriage benefits as heterosexual couples, same sex couples are not being protected by the first amendment, and same sex couples should be given the right to express and celebrate their partnership.
In 2008, there were around 123,000 orphans in the United States alone(US Census). Even though many states such as California, Colorado, New York, and others allow gay couples to adopt, there are still ot...
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...fferent races to be considered more of equals. Legalization of same sex marriages will cause people of different orientations a chance to be considered more of equals. Same sex marriage will help us greatly in lowering the number of orphans, give the LGBT community marriage benefits, protection of the first amendment, and freedom to express and celebrate their love freely.
Works Cited
“Bill of Rights Transcript Text.” Bill of Rights Transcript Text. NARA, n.d. Web. 29 Sep 2013.
Guillen, Lina. “Marriage Rights and Benefits.” Nolo.com. Law For All, n.d. Web. 27 Sep 2013.
Michelson, Noah. "13 Things The Bible Forbids Other Than Homosexuality (That You're Probably Guilty Of Doing)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 07 Mar 2012. Web. 27 Sep 2013.
Patria, Melina. "Groundbreaking Interracial Marriage." ABC News. ABC News Network, 14 Jun 2007. Web. 29 Sep 2013.
The U.S. has recognized marriage as a basic human right by many court cases including Loving v Virginia. Since protecting the marriage of a black-Cherokee woman and a white man, the case has also helped support the legalization of same-sex marriage in all 50 states. This is important because it creates a more united America by knocking down social constraints that disallowed the 5-10% of America identified as homosexual from being married. In the same way as blacks were not allowed to vote, gay couples were not allowed to marry. The legalization of same-sex marriage is helping bridge the split in social order of America by not outlawing same-sex couples for being “immoral” and implying the couples are less-deserving of marriage than a heterosexual relationship. The change of expanding the 14th amendment’s meaning of equal protection of rights for all citizens, in this case for marriage, is helping people treat each other as equivalent and allowing the country to take another step towards liberty and justice for
Robson, Ruthann. "The Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's History: Marriage." Houghton Mifflin Study Center. 19 Nov. 2005. http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/women/html/wh_022200_marriage.htm.
Brian, Buchanan J. "About the First Amendment." First Amendment Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2011.
An Overview of Federal Rights and Protections Granted to Married Couples. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2014, from Human Rights Campaign website: https://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/an-overview-of-federal-rights-and-protections-granted-to-married-couples
Legal marriage should be for everyone not just heterosexuals. Denying homosexuals the right to marriage affects them greatly in more than one way. Many people do not approve of same-sex marriage because it is against their own religion. The only people that benefit from this are the people that do not accept same-sex marriages. Marriage is supposed to be between a man and a woman according to some and could interfere if they adopt children. Currently there are four states that allow gay marriage. Civil unions and domestic marriage are both ways for others to argue against same-sex marriages but do not replace marriage. Allowing same-sex marriage in all of the states in the United States will not harm anything. Homosexuals are not hurting anyone if they get married.
"Bill of Rights | Constitution | US Law." LII / Legal Information Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Wardle, Lynn D. "The Movement To Substitute Generic Adult Intimate "Relationships" For "Marriage”." Marriage and Same-sex Unions: A Debate. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003. 195. Print.
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.
Coolidge, David et al. Revitalizing the Institution of Marriage for the 21st Century. Texas, TX: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002. Print.
I was about 7 years old when I was exposed to same sex couples. I had two really close friends in elementary school who has same sex parents, one of my friend’s name was Devin she had two dads and my other friend’s name was Tessa, she had two moms. When I would come over for playdates I always wondered why Devin didn’t have a mom and why Tessa didn’t have a dad, and thats when they told me their parents were homosexuals. At the age of 7 I didn’t understand what that meant until one day at school when Tessa was getting bullied because she had two moms and one of her moms came to father daughter day. I began hearing the words “gay” and “fags” I didn’t understand what was so bad about the situation. Tessa simply didn’t have a father so her mother stepped in so she wouldn’t feel lonely. I asked my teacher, “what was so different about Tessa’s life?” and she explained to me that there are some people that prefer to take interest and love people of the same sex and her moms happen to be one those people. Although they aren’t the traditional heterosexual couple, they aren’t any less human than heterosexual couples. As the year went on and I was exposed to more same sex couples I realized that the only differences between hertrosexual couples and homosexual couples is that many hertrosexual couples I knew were married, and none of the homosexual couples I knew were.
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.
Herman, Gregg. “Legal Effects Of Same-Sex Marriage And Divorce.” American Journal Of Family Law 26.1 (2012): 5-6. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Jan. 2014.
... marriage is a controversial topic among today’s society. While the LGBT community fights for marriage equality, they feel inferior to those capable of being married. Same-sex marriage is not intended to harm heterosexual marriage or affect the function of society. Studies prove same-sex marriage would help the economy, as well as, government permitting, raise adoption rates. According to the First and Fourteenth Amendments; same-sex marriage is protected by the Constitution. Backing the Constitution are multiple marriage equality court cases. Same-sex marriage would end stigmatization of homosexuals and discrimination against them. There are over one thousand rights same-sex couples are denied of. Marriage equality and these civil rights would consider all men to be treated equal again. The future of marriage equality relies on the legalization of same-sex marriage.
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.