The Same Sex Marriage Debate
The controversial debate over whether same sex marriage should be legalized has gained a lot of attention in recent years and there are strong arguments for each side of the issue. There are many different factors that must be looked at when considering same-sex marriage. A marriage is not something that is just slapped on a piece of paper to show a couple's love; it involves legal, social, economic, and spiritual issues. Throughout this essay, I intend to focus on all of the issues just mentioned, and how all of these issues are interrelated in some way, shape or form. I will also pay attention to the state influence on marriage, how one state's decision affects another state's actions, and last how the legislation and courts deal with same sex marriage. While I am strongly against the marriage of individuals from the same sex for political, social, and personal reasons, I will be sure to include the pros and cons of each argument.
There have been a few states or towns that have allowed same sex marriage to take place, but in each of these cases a court later found the licenses granted to gay couples unconstitutional due to the Federal Defense of Marriage Act that was enacted in 1996. Soon afterwards, thirty-eight states followed with similar legislation. The act serves two purposes; first, it makes the "full faith and credit" clause null and void in regards to same sex marriage. Second, it puts in writing what has been understood under federal law for over 200 years: marriage is the legal union of a man and a woman as husband and wife, and a spouse is a husband or wife of the opposite sex. Many of the religions practiced in America established marriage as a sacred institution since the be...
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...lature and the courts, as mentioned in Banks vs. Banks. I will support a constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriages, unfortunately I believe that in the long run the gay community will gain more and more support for their cause, just as other minorities have in the past.
Works Citied
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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.
Nagourney, Adam. "Court Strikes Down Ban on Gay Marriage in California." New York Times. N.p., 7 Feb. 2012. Web.
Newton, D. E. (2010). Same-sex Marriage : A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Sixty years from now, the American people will look back on the 21st century and be appalled at how the people from today allowed their government to make it illegal for certain couples to get married, just as the people of today are disgusted with the ban on marriage between interracial couples before 1967. Being so advanced technologically, it is surprising how America is still so behind on the issue of same-sex marriage. The United States should push aside the religious argument in this debate, and truly separate its church and state as it claims to do so. From its slow beginning to the rapid increase of support in the 70’s, homosexual marriage has been a controversial debate that hopefully will end in the near future.
As an American citizen, a person should be entitled to marry whoever they choose, regardless of gender or sexual preference. Gay marriage is something that some people consider to be taboo while other people are very supportive of it; I am one of the latter. The ability to marry someone is a basic human right and it should not be taken away from someone because they love a person of the same gender. One of the main reasons that gay marriage is illegal in the United States is because of what the Bible says about it, regardless of the fact that the first Amendment of the US Constitution says that there is to be a separation between church and state. Approximately three point eight percent of the United States population is made up of people
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Fewer social issues cause more heated debate both politically and personally than the issue of same-sex marriage. When presented with the term “marriage equality”, most Americans would probably associate it with same-sex marriage. But homosexual couples have not been the only demographic to experience inequality in America when it comes to marriage. In early agrarian societies, women were the face of marriage inequality. They were considered a possession like land or cattle or anything else. Fast forward to 1960’s America when the American Civil rights movement was at its height. With the exception of those who lived it, few would remember that it was only in recent decades that interracial marriage was legalized in the United States. Will history repeat itself? Will future generations of Americans ever remember a time when same sex couples were not allowed to marry? This paper will attempt to explore the history of marriage inequality in America as well as highlight the issues that are being debated and voted on in present day elections.
Prohibiting same sex marriage is unconstitutional. "The act discriminates on the basis of the sex by making the ability to marry depend on one's gender" (American Civil Liberties Union, p 12). It also disregards the Faith Full and Credit Clause of the constitution. If a gay or lesbian couple gets married in a state where same sex marriage is legal, but then for some reasons decides to move to another state where same sex marriage is prohibited, it would mean that their union would not be recognized.
On June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that the US Constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry. Should gay marriages be legal? Clearly we as a nation are undecided on this issue. Thirty-six states have passed legislation banning gay marriages, yet a few states have passed laws that allows homosexual couples the right to participate in civil unions. Several other states are also debating whether or not to allow these couples to marry. Unfortunately, the dispute has left the United States' homosexual community in an awkward position. There are some people who think that gay people have no rights and should never be allowed to marry, and others believe that gay people should enjoy the same rights and privileges as heterosexuals. I think that the United States should allow same-sex couples to marry just like heterosexual couples.
The recognition of same-sex marriage is a political, social, and religious issue. Because of this same-sex marriage is a very controversial topic. Legal acknowledgement of same sex marriage is commonly referred to as marriage equality. Many advocates of marriage equality argue that laws restricting marriage to only heterosexuals discriminate against homosexuals. On the other hand advocates against same-sex marriage argue that it would undo long-standing traditions and change the meaning of marriage in a damaging manor. In this essay I will be arguing for same-sex marriage. The arguments mentioned as well as others will be discusses throughout this paper.
Legalizing gay marriage has caused many problems in the society today. The U.S. Constitution is making some people go against their religious beliefs because of this law. I personally do not think people should have to go against their religion to support something that God would not be pleased with. We have enough things going on in this horrible world and irrelevant things like this should not be added to society’s problems.