Marriage is the legal or religious ceremony that formalizes the decision of two people to live as a married couple. Marriage should not be based on what others think. When people get married in a heterosexual union, they do it for their own happiness, not for the happiness of others. Gay marriage is the same way. Homosexuality has always been around and will continue to exist. Why should homosexuals be denied the rights of heterosexuals? No one has the right to say that homosexuals can not marry. That is discriminating against another group of individuals who want equality. Gay marriage should be accepted; people were made with the capacity to love, no one should try to change that, not the Bible, the Constitution, or anyone.
Marriage is stated many times in the Bible. But the Bible and the Amendments can be interpreted many ways. Marriage is a religious ceremony, “But I cannot imagine even the most fervent Christian obeying all of God’s laws…” (Bond) Nobody is perfect, but our flaws make who we are. If we don’t always follow a few rules here and there it is okay because we are only human. Most parents teach their children to be different and don’t let others influence them. The same thing should go for gays. The people that are trying to change them are not going to succeed. Gays were made fore a certain reason, but our country has to figure that out first in order accept them. In the Bible, Jesus blesses the children and sends the young rich men away… Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, there is no one who left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age --- houses brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields with...
... middle of paper ...
..., it will come.
Works Cited
DeMarco, Donald. "Same-Sex Marriage Should Not Be Allowed." The Family. Ed. Auriana Ojeda. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
Bond, Julian. "Opposing Same-Sex Marriage Discriminates Against Gays." Discrimination. Ed. Jacqueline Langwith. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
Dykstra, Laurel. "Not All Queers Want to Marry." Homosexuality. Ed. Paul Connors. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Current Controversies. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
Mercer, Ilana. "Gay Couples Have Equal Rights." 2014. Rpt. in Does Equality Exist in America? Ed. Stuart A. Kallen. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2014. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
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.
The two texts examined within, present the opposing extremes of views regarding gay and lesbian marriage. The first text entitled Let Gays Marry by Andrew Sullivan examines the intricacies of same sex relationships and why homosexual couples should be allowed to publicly show affection for one another. The second text that will be examined is titled Leave Marriage Alone written by William Bennett. Bennett gives his views on why couples of same sex nature should not be allowed to engage in marital relations. These two authors, although very different, each has a view of the ideals of marriage, and how it should be presented to the public.
Wolf, Richard. “Timeline: Same-Sex marriage through the years.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 26 June 2015,
Milstein, Susan A. Taking Sides Clashing Views in Human Sexuality. Ed. William J. Taverner and Ryan W. McKee. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.
Note: This paper has a very long Annotated Bibliography. In recent years, same-sex relationships have become more encompassing in US society. State legislation is changing such as accepting gay marriages, enforcing anti-discrimination laws, and legal gay adoptions; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community is becoming public. Gay-headed families, like heterosexuals, are diverse and varying in different forms.
Redlingshafer, JoEllen. "The LGBT Movement Must Look Past Gay Marriage." Policymic. Policymic, 2013. Web. 23 Sept. 2013.
“A Right to Marry? Same-sex Marriage and Constitutional Law | Dissent Magazine.” Dissent Magazine. Martha Nussbaum, 8 June 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.
Stein, Edward. The Mismeasure of Desire: The Science, Theory, and Ethics of Sexual Orientation. New York, NY: Oxford UP, 1999. Print. 20 Oct. 2011
An issue that has, in recent years, begun to increase in arguments, is the acceptability of homosexuality in society. Until recently, homosexuality was considered strictly taboo. If an individual was homosexual, it was considered a secret to be kept from all family, friends, and society. However, it seems that society has begun to accept this lifestyle by allowing same sex couples. The idea of coming out of the closet has moved to the head of homosexual individuals when it used to be the exception.
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.
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.
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.
Many people believe in a traditional marriage between a man and a woman. God created man and woman to be faithful and produce children. Same-sex marriage is contrary to the word of God and the laws of nature; therefore, it is incompatible with the beliefs, sacred texts, and traditions of many religious groups. Many biblical scriptures talk about how immoral same-sex marriage is.
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.
Marriage is just one way for two people to show their love for another. Whether it is two men, two women, or a man and a woman, love is love. People against gay marriage do not have the right to deny people of showing their love for one another. Everyone deserves the same rights as Americans and also just as people. The United States of America promotes freedom, liberty, and justice for all people. Same-sex couples are many times not included when it comes to marriage rights.