Equal Rights for the LGBT Community

1885 Words4 Pages

It is a common fallacy that homosexuality is a newer innovation in society. Many people believe that those who are homosexual choose to be so, or that they’re just going through a phase. However, homosexuals have been present in society for many centuries and their “abnormal” desires haven’t always been considered as taboo as they have been in recent history. Random History explains that in ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome, homosexuality was a lot more common and a lot more accepted than it is today. For example, “None of the recorded laws of Mesopotamia, including the Code of Hammurabi, contain restrictions against same-sex unions despite the fact that marriages are otherwise well regulated” (Random History). In Rome, “even emperors often married other males” (Boswell). So even in some of the earliest of civilizations we don’t see any restriction on same-sex relationships in spite of their vast set of laws, yet today homosexuals in the United States and all around the world are fighting for their civil right to marry the person they love. No two people in love should ever be denied their right to marry one another due to their sexual orientation, and furthermore same-sex marriage should be recognized nationally at a federal and state level. The movement towards gaining equal rights for those of the LGBT community has been steadily growing for the past half a century. However, in 1996 “Congress passed DOMA primarily in response to Bachr v. Lewin, a case in which the Hawaii Supreme Court held that” restricting marriage “to male-female couples discriminates on the basis of sex”(Statsky). DOMA, or The Defense of Marriage Act, made it unnecessary for states to recognize same-sex marriages performed i... ... middle of paper ... ... today. Not allowing same-sex marriage is complete discrimination. Same-sex couples are denied financial as well as social and legal benefits that heterosexual couples receive. The definition of marriage should in no way be dictated by the church, but by the government. The government banning same sex marriage infringes upon the rights of thousands of law-abiding citizens who want nothing but to legally be with the person they love. During the recent winter Olympics we criticized and ridiculed Russia for their anti-gay legislation yet we still don’t give equal rights to homosexuals here in this county. There is only one clear solution to this problem, and that is legalizing same-sex marriage. The legalization of same-sex marriages will create equality for all people in relationships regardless of sexual orientation and defeat the injustice faced by same-sex couples.

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