Historically defined as the union between a man and women the idea of marriage has been socially ingrained into the minds of Americans leaving any other possibilities of who love can happen between as unacceptable. These strong societal beliefs are far from the truth yet dictate the ability of homosexuals rights to marry one another. Avoiding defining what marriage entails in the constitution, the issue of whether or not gay people have the right to marry has become a state issue. The conservative idea of marriage is changing as society is undergoing a transformation in its beliefs to a more liberal stance. As a country that has progressed towards being more egalitarian and inclusive in ensuring individuals rights, the right of marriage should be available to all couples, across all states, regardless of their sexual preferences.
Fighting for the rights guaranteed to every citizen in the United States Constitution Americans have claimed that by denying homosexuals the right to marry each other is an act of discrimination upon a specific group of people. Not all Americans are being included in their civil right to equal treatment. By not addressing, what constitutes a marriage the federal government has left it up to states to form their own laws defining the idea of marriage . . This issue should be one of structural lawmaking and the identification of marriage as being more than between a couple of opposite sexes but its proven to be more that . To change law has become a fight to change social attitudes and norms that have long prevailed in society. Demonstrating an understanding of people’s rights and the ever changing social attitudes and values of Americans, “ As of Jan. 6, 2014 gay marriage has legalized in the followin...
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...uman beings that deserve to be treated no differently than anybody else by being given equal opportunities in life. Every individual should have the choice to marry the person they love and let their children have the choice to marry the person they love. Shifting the country towards becoming a tolerant nation free of prejudice and demonstrative of its liberty and justice for all, homosexuals should have the choice to marry the person they love.
Works Cited
"Gay Marriage ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2014. .
"U.S. Constitution." Constitutional Topic: Marriage. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2014. .
“What Does the Bible Say about Gay Marriage / Same Sex Marriage?" GotQuestions.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2014. .
Within America’s society today, 3.8 percent of the population is gay, lesbian, or bisexual. With only 17 of the 50 states legalizing and recognizing this type of relationship (“History…”), it puts a stronghold on same-sex couples to publicly declare their love with the promise of marriage. Same-sex marriages should be legalized because everyone has equal rights of freedom and liberty.
Abstract On June 26, 2015 a divided Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples could now marry nationwide. At the time of the split ruling there were 9 supreme court justices, 5 of the justices were Republicans, and the remaining 4 were Democrats. In high profile cases it is except that the justices will vote along party lines. When the 5-4 ruling was reveled by the following statement. “It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right (Corn,2015).” written by
After watching the movie Freeheld and doing a little bit of research about it from Wikipedia, I was actually surprised thinking about how far the LGBT movement has come in twelve years. It is disappointing to think about how long it took for the LGBT community to be granted marriage equality rights in America. I actually thought this movie took place much earlier than the early 2000s, but the fourth generation Camaro and Wikipedia page told me otherwise.
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
As New York City was waking up on Saturday, June 28, 1969, the New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in Greenwich Village. The raid led to riots and protests that lasted several days. Such police harassment was hardly uncommon at the time, but this particular raid proved to be the last straw. What could have been a quickly forgotten brawl instead became “the beginning of the modern struggle for gay civil rights” (Teal). The Stonewall Riots pushed the gay rights movement to the forefront of hot-button topics in the United States, where it has remained ever since (Teal).
The 1960s and 1970s saw a spur of social unrest and resistance against societal status quo. The time period served as a pivot point in the progression of societal norms. For once people were speaking up to be themselves and act on their prerogative. From the movement of women pushing for liberal ideals of self-expression to the gay rights movement in which homosexuals advocated to create tolerance of their lifestyle. Furthermore, their avocation may have been met with resistance and opposition, but changed the American society forever.
While the gay rights movement has been around for some time, the things that they fight for is forever changing. Currently it is fighting for the right to marry, and receive all the rights straight people get when they marry. Married privilege is like white privilege; married people have more rights then non-married people, no matter what sex a person is married to. These benefits include insurance coverage’s under a spouse policy, social security benefit inheritance, receiving pension and personal assets without taxation, visitation rights at the hospital without question and making health care decisions (LaSala, 2007). In addition to all that, there is a social benefit to being married; it represents a healthy, developed and normal relationship (LaSala, 2007). Before reading this article, I never thought about why married people are given all of these rights. I never thought about where they came from, who made them up, or why they were even made. Why are we fighting for legalizing same-sex marriage a...
Famous children’s author Dr. Seuss once said, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind". Gay rights, at the moment, are one of the most publicized and well known controversial subjects of this decade. The sides clearly drawn one fighting for rights as simple as being married the other stating that it defames their religion and goes against the definition of marriage, being between a man and a woman. The individuals who are fighting for their civil rights are fallowing the same path that African Americans and women have taken, but the change has started and in over 13 states gays have been given their basic rights and more state are joining in the fight both for and against the topic.
Feeling the warmth when they hold a loved one is something for which people should not be judged. It should not matter what sex their partner is because, put simply, they are in love. The gay rights movement is a continuing procession that fights for their rights. The gay rights movement actually begins on November 11, 1950 when gay rights activist Harry Hay founds America’s first national gay rights organization by the name of Mattachine Society, according to the “Timeline: Milestones in the American Gay Rights Movement”. Their leaders or people who advanced their purpose are Harvey Milk, Harry Hay, LGBT, or lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual groups. This purpose is to stop intolerance and, ultimately, gain the right of and benefits of marriage. The gay rights movement is embodied in “What We Want, What We Believe,” which shows that even though the group was not seen, or given rights, that in time with their unity they would gain equality. It is a manifesto that states what the entirety of the LGBT groups want. Moreover, no one should feel the shunning of discrimination or hatred for whom they love because of what sex they are.
As a United States citizen who was born in the new millennium, I was brought up with the idea that, as stated in the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This statement was one of the main sources of fuel for the Civil Rights Movements in the mid 1950’s/60’s in the United States. Minority groups have often been mistreated in the United States culminating in movements much like that of the women’s suffrage movement, civil rights movements and now a movement toward equality for the LGBTQIA. In the last few decades a new minority group, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and allies, and their struggle to attain their right to the pursuit of happiness. This small makes up roughly 4 percent of the US population. Though many say that gay marriage will weaken the moral foundation of our country, it should be legalized, not only because banning it is unconstitutional, but also because strips people of their human rights
One of the biggest issues going to debate throughout not only the U.S. but the world is the gay rights movement. The Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender (LGBT) community is being denied their basic rights as citizens just because of their sexual preference and the opinion of people throughout the country. Many Christians believe that homosexuality is wrong and that God is against it but others believe that God creates everything for a reason and that He loves everything equally. Even though many people believe that homosexuality is a sin and that it’s unnatural and wrong, homosexuals are ordinary people and they should be given their full rights regardless of their sexual orientation.
Marriage equality happened more quickly than other civil rights because of the time period. From the start of the gay rights in the 1950s some say the start of the Americans golden age. The war europe and japan had just ended, all the advancements in technology because of the war, and the U.S economy at it’s best this was a time of change for the U.S in life styles, beliefs, and more. This was the perfect time for the start of the gay rights movement, if it had happened before the war it would have faded off of course brought back later but wouldn’t be strong because the war in between. Compared to other civil rights movements for example the women rights movement during the mid 1800s and early 1900s. At this time the idea of women's suffrage
I also believe that a person who is homosexual should be given the same rights as any other heterosexual person because after all, we are all human beings. Many may say that “oh yes, the Bible condemns it” but the Bible also said to “Do unto others as you would like them do unto you.” I think that we as humans have developed this negative behavior to when it comes to difference. Some may compare homosexuality to incest and molestation and rape but such a comparison is quite unfair, as with incest, molestation and rape, there is no free consent to it.
“It is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married” (Procon.org), said Barack Obama the 44th and current president of the United States. The gay right movement started in 1969, riots, struggles, and problems followed after. In today’s society, it has been showed that people are opening up to gay rights. There has been effort in protecting the gays and discrimination against gays is now considered a hate crime and is illegal. However, gay rights still to this day struggle with state and federal legal circumstances. Same- sex marriage needs to be legal, couples who choose to be of the same-sex should be allowed to celebrate their commitment with each other the way heterosexual couples get to, both publicly and society acceptable.
If the constitution promises equality before the law, what justification can there be for clearing rights to any member of society? More specifically what justification can there be for clearing rights to gays and lesbians? Lots of questions come to mind when the topic of gays and lesbians having equal rights as any other citizen in society would have. Should gays and lesbians have equal employment opportunities? Should they have the right to adopt a child, and should they have the right to marry their own sex partner. Well of course they should have the right to do all of these things just because they are human beings also.