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.
Government. "The Bill of Rights: A Transcription." National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, 15 Jan. 2007. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
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
Second parent adoption is an important tool utilized by same-sex couples in an effort to protect their parental rights in states where same sex marriage is not recognized. Although gay and lesbian paren...
Brian, Buchanan J. "About the First Amendment." First Amendment Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Apr. 2011.
"Bill of Rights and Later Amendments." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
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
"The Bill of Rights: A Transcription." National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html
"Bill of Rights Transcript Text." Bill of Rights Transcript Text. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2013. .
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Whether a created family is from previous heterosexual relationships, artificial insemination, or adoption, it deserves the same legal rights heterosexual families enjoy. Full adoption rights needs to be legalized in all states to provide a stable family life for children because sexual orientation does not determine parenting skills, children placed with homosexual parents have better well-being than those in foster care, and there are thousands of children waiting for good homes. The argument sexual orientation interferes with ones parenting skills is common belief that Charlotte J. Patterson identifies as myth in her work, Lesbian and Gay Parents and their Children, suggesting the belief that “lesbians’ and gay men’s relationships with sexual partners leave little time for ongoing parent–child interactions.” In the Who is Mommy tonight? case study, how 18 lesbian adoptive parents, 49 lesbian parents who formed their families biologically, and 44 heterosexual adoptive parents experience and perceive their parenting role, how they respond when their children seek them or their partner for particular nurturing, and how the parents negotiate the cultural expectation of a primary caregiver (Ciano-Boyce & Shelley-Sireci, 2002) is looked at.
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.
Adoption is a very important part of the American lifestyle. The welfare of children needs to be put in front of homophobia. There are an estimated 500,000 children in foster care nation wide, and 100,000 of these children are awaiting adoption. In 2013, only one child of every six available for adoption was actually adopted. (Sanchez, 13) Statistics like these show the true importance of adoption. People seem to prefer to have their own children biologically, but adoption should be taken into consideration, even if natural conception is possible.
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.
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.
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.