Functionalist Theory Same Sex Marriage

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Same-sex Marriage
Inequality based on sexual orientation is a common social problem people encounter every day of our lives. A lot of our societies have seen discrimination based on sexual orientation and it has become a spread out issue in many states. Because of this, same-sex marriages have been a serious concern to society. Gay marriage is looked upon as a major social problem within our society today and I will discuss the view of two major social theories which are symbolic interactionsim and functional analysis.
Symbolic interactionism is about the belief that interactions are established based on symbols, language, and objects which are mutually understood (Goffman 1966: 143). This theory analyzes how people shape and describe their reality in different viewpoints of social interaction. …show more content…

The view of same sex marriage through symbolic interactionism is more accepting than the functionalist view. Marriage is considered to be a constitutional law and it gives the right for most Americans to legally get married. Yet, in most states, same-sex marriages have been a major issue to people who oppose these new changes to their society. People still continue to follow the traditional marriage and they feel like it should neutrally stay this way. People are not used to change in general and view things that are not normal to them as bad. Gays definitely have a hardship when it comes to expressing their love through the union of marriage. Society uses the media especially to portray what makes a “normal” family. In every television show you see a man and a woman as the husband and wife with their children. Recently in America, there have been shows released where there are two of the same gender playing husband and wife. These shows are more than entertainment. It is almost like a statement or a new trend for a new

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