The Pros And Cons Of Gay Marriage

1042 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gender Roles in American Society

Gay marriage legalization has reached a national stage in the past decade (Kellard). It’s understandable that some people are uncomfortable with something they are not familiar with, but this is no reason to deny a group of people the rights they deserve as citizens of the United States. Denying homosexuals the right to marry is doing more harm than the people opposing it can imagine and marriage has so many different connotations. It is unfair to put a limitation on a concept that has so many meanings for so many different people.
Most of the opposition surrounding gay marriage stems from the religious beliefs of the people opposing it. Conservatives argue that freedom of religion allows them to feel as they please about gay marriage (Kellard). …show more content…

Who has the say when deciding what marriage means to everyone? The government has the power to grant married people privileges that people who are not married do not have. Religions define marriage as an intimate union between man and woman, and this union exists to serve their God. Society generally claims that marriage is a means to help families to endure the adversities of life (Kusch). The reasons why people get married are not limited to their love for one another. According to John Kusch, “People marry for money, non-sexual companionship, or even health insurance.” The argument that denying gays the right to marry is “protecting the institution of marriage” is ridiculous for a number of reasons. One of these reasons is that divorce has become a normal, accepted occurrence in our society. The divorce rate in recent years is close to 50 percent (Kellard). If the protection of marriage was really an issue, divorce would be outlawed, too. The ideals of marriage have undeniably changed over time. Because same-sex marriage can be perceived as a “revolutionary” concept, it is understandable that people understand marriage to be a sacred vow between man and woman. This perception should not be understood as the law of the land solely because of its true identity. It is nothing more than an opinion. The government should be proactive in accommodating a broad spectrum of people, because that is what makes America so

Show More
Related

  • Essay On Gay Rights

    1342 Words  | 3 Pages

    With the economic support, the adoption rates rising, and the equality same-sex couples deserve, gay marriage deserves to be legalized throughout the nation and the world. Rejecting the right of marriage to these couples hurts them and the way they are able to live their lives. Everyone deserves marriage and life equality despite the person they love because we have equality rights based on us as an individual, not on who we decide to love.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay: Legalizing Gay Marriage

    1384 Words  | 3 Pages

    Legalizing gay marriage has been a controversial topic in the past few years. In my opinion, gay people should be allowed to get married because it is a civil right. It shouldn 't matter what gender they prefer because they 're still regular people. Making gay marriage illegal, is the same as taking away someone 's freedom and civil rights. That is unethical and completely awful. There 's no harm being done by letting two people who are in love with each other get married. However, many religious fundamentalists are against this and believe gay marriage is wrong and needs to be stopped. Homosexual couples should have the right to get married because it 's a civil right and their sexual preference doesn 't make them any less human.

    Read More

  • Essay On Civil Marriage Vs Civil Unions

    682 Words  | 2 Pages

    People are against gay marriage for multiple reasons. Most are just against the idea that two people of the same sex can fall in love and become a family. Or because people don’t want homosexuals to be allowed the same benefits that heterosexual couple can have. According to a recent survey by the Gallop Organization, forty-three percent of Americans are opposed to same-sex marriage (Morin).

    Read More

  • Examples Of Sex Discrimination

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the United States, conservative Christians are more involved than ever when it comes to limiting the right gays and lesbians to marry, claiming that it’s wrong due to the fact that the Bible clearly states that marriage is between a man and a woman (Burn 178). “Most fundamentalist and conservative religions will not ordain gays and lesbians or permit them to serve in religious leadership roles (Burn 178).”

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Being Gay

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    “All young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential.”-Harvey Milk. Even though he was gay Harvey Milk did not discriminate others based on whom they chose to love, what color their skin was, or what their religion was. He believed that all people no matter what should be treated equally. Throughout history there has been a wide array of intolerance towards the fight for gay people and their rights. They have been targeted time and time again for being disgusting, unnatural, mentally ill, and abominations among many other things. Why do people continue to view others this way? Being gay is not a choice, although some people believe it to be. Being gay is no different than being straight. The only difference between the two is that one: two people of the same sex cannot pro-create, and two: people who are gay do not hate others based on who they choose to love.

    Read More

  • Against the Federal Marriage Amendment

    1719 Words  | 4 Pages

    The word marriage means many things to many different people. To some people marriage is a religious ceremony, and should remain a religious union, without any interaction by the government. For others marriage is a legal contract, which should benefit both parties involved in the marriage. According Wikipedia.com, most people define marriage as “(1) the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as a husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2) the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of the traditional relationship.” Not only has the type of contract marriage is become so controversial, but also the idea of who exactly is allowed to be married is an unresolved issue. Due to so many conflicting views on marriage, some people have wanted the government to define the word marriage, while others feel that it is not in the government’s job description to do so. As a result the Federal government did decide to define it with the proposition of the marriage amendment. What the marriage amendment states is that “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and woman. Neither constitution or the constitution of any state, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the logical incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups.” However despite efforts by the government to solve matters/issues of marriage, more problems in fact come out of this. The marriage amendment should not be in motion because it goes against the very idea of federalism, takes away civil rights, and also takes power away from the courts also.

    Read More

  • Marriage Inequality: The Right to Marry

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    Marriage is defined as “(1) the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2): the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage ("Marriage," 2003, p. 659). Despite the latter definition’s addition to dictionaries in the past decade, this definition of marriage is still debated. Being a touchy subject in both politics and religion today, it’s been very hard to come to an agreement. There are two main sides to this argument regarding the nature of marriage. Some stick to their conservative and/or religious beliefs, while others state that marriage is a civil right (Kim, 2011, p. [Page 38]). However, same-sex marriage is not legally recognized in North Carolina and thirty-two other states at this time ("Defining Marriage: State Defense," 2014). Homosexuals have been denied many of the rights given to those that are heterosexual. Same-sex couples are not able to receive other benefits as a heterosexual couple would. The lack of benefits is extremely unequal and unfair. This unacceptable treatment is unconstitutional and should not continue.

    Read More

  • Gay Marriage Essay

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    The world today is surrounded with many controversial issues. One such issue would be the topic of gay marriage. This country has grown around one major tradition, being the definition of marriage. It’s more-less looked at as a religious or legal commitment between a women and man, to express their love and compassion towards one another, being the last and final step there is to take with that significant other. Homosexual relationships are rapidly gaining acceptance in this country. However, the Defensive of Marriage Act, that former president Clinton signed in 1996, is holding many back from being able to marry what could be the significant other of their dreams. Homosexuality effects from 8% to 15% of all males, as well as females being slightly less than the male population. To put this in a more familiar context, there are as many gays and lesbians in America today as there are unemployed citizens. There are a few states which formed a type of commitment called a "civil union", which basically is marriage without using the word "marriage." Gay couples are denied significant rights when they are not allowed to marry, and these result in injustices within society. Most carry the burden of hiding their sexual identity for fear of being disrespected or mistreated by the general population who remain ignorant to the causes and circumstances of homosexuality. This puzzles many due to the excess amount of investigative work that has been done on the phenomenon, as well as puzzling the church as to who would want to look into the concept in such a sinful matter.

    Read More

  • Gay Marriage Persuasive Essay

    950 Words  | 2 Pages

    Opponents of same-sex marriage have about as many reasons to not allow gay marriage as supporters have to allow it. One reason people don't want gays getting married is because in most religions, it is a sin to be attracted to the same gender, and completely unspeakable to marry them. (TFP Student Action; page 1) They think that if we were to allow gays to marry, it would promote the acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle, and society would be forced to accept it. (TFP Student Action; page 1) Children would get confused after seeing two men/women getting married at a church, and may think they can behave this way, even if their religion is against it. (TFP Student Action; page 1) Schools could even begin to teach about the gay culture, due to it being so socially accepted. (TFP Student Action; page 1)

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis of Schulman's Article 'Gay Marriage and Marriage'

    949 Words  | 2 Pages

    Marriage, for years has been argued that the rights to it or strictly only between a man and a women. Both sexes are assumed to marry someone of the opposite sex. What if, however, an individual wanted to marry someone of the same sex? Why is this debate so heavily heated amongst individuals? Is it that religion is a large structure base that those in society are guided by? Or is it that individuals do not understand that marriage is a union between two individuals who are in love? Whatever the case may be, there is always someone who has to argue that homosexual marriage is “wrong.”

    Read More

  • The Evolution of Marriage

    2099 Words  | 5 Pages

    Marriage is a “socially recognized and approved union between individuals, who commit to one another with the expectations of a stable and lasting intimate relationship. It begins with a ceremony known as a wedding which formally unites marriage partners. A marital relationship usually involves some kind of contract, either written or specified by tradition, which defines the partners’ rights and obligations to each other, to any children they may have, and to their relatives. In most contemporary industrialized societies, marriage is certified by the government,” (Skolnick, 2005). Marriage is also an important institution because of the impact it has on society. Marriage is the main way that reproduction of human life occurs. In some societies it is tradition for family heirlooms or things of value be passed on through marriage. Marriage also serves as a healthy way to have intimate relationships with an individual. In most places a marriage exists between two people of the opposite sex. However, the legal definition of marriage is currently being challenged by many. According to Skolnick’s article a marriage can be defined by responsibilities that a couple would share, some examples are: living together, having sexual relations, sharing money and financial responsibilities, and having a child together. The issue is that homosexual couples can do these things like heterosexual couples.

    Read More

  • Same Sex Marriage

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Gay Marriage Should be Legal

    2010 Words  | 5 Pages

    There are many opponents of gay people as it is, and they all have their reasons to dislike the idea of permitting them get married. One of the main reasons is that the primary purpose of marriage is procreation. Because gay couples are unable to have children, they should not be allowed to marry (Schiffen 495). Another main argument is that the word marriage means the union of one man and one woman. This is a long-standing theme of most major Western religions. Under a proposed bill known as the Defense of Marriage act, marriage is defined as “a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.” Furthermore, it defines a spouse as “ a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife” (What 1). Under these guidelines, it is quite obvious that gay couples would not be eligible for marriage. People against homosexual marriage also say that it is a person’s choice to be gay. Since the individual chooses to be a homosexual, they should not be given special privileges. Another argument that you hear is that these couples should not get married simply because of the torment and ridicule they would be faced with in their everyday lives. There are news reports from across America telling about how a gay person was beaten or killed just because they were looked at as different. Some of these people would end up the target of verbal abuse and maybe even physical abuse, just because some heterosexual people see them as different.

    Read More

  • Same Sex Marriage Is Not Acceptable

    873 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Same-Sex Marriage

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    Denying people to get married is a form of discrimination. People are being treated differently because of their sexual orientation and it is morally wrong. Gay marriage has no effect on heterosexuals. So why are so many heterosexuals against it? The arguments against gay marriage are unreasonable. Some believe that being gay is unnatural or influences children to be gay. Studies show that there is no difference between children raised by same sex or straight couples.

    Read More

More about The Pros And Cons Of Gay Marriage

Open Document