The bestowed rights of humans have been distorted throughout time. Regarding all who deserve the same privileges as others, compassion is not shown with respect. Given that times are changing, it is only right that everybody follows suit and makes the necessary alterations to equalize all humans. I believe, if individuals are more informed on Gay Rights such as marriage, adoption and the military discussion of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) maybe we can fight to give same-sex couples the opportunities that the rest of the population have. The first and topic to establish a more equal world is same-sex marriage, collectively known as Gay Marriage. Marriage throughout time has been instituted as opposite sex only unions. As of March 18, 2011 a Washington Post-ABC poll stated that fifty-three percent of Americans are pro gay and lesbian marriage, which is up from thirty-six percent in 2006 (HRC,2011). Comparing homosexual marriages to heterosexual marriages stand to be very equal in all aspects. Both are considered loyal, devoted partners who are active and committed to their community. The advantages given to these unions are very beneficial to all involved. Not just for income sake, but health issues too. It is proven that when in a marriage, humans tend to live longer and healthier lives. So it is shown that marriage in any form is better for the world in general. Looking at the laws as they stand, in 2011 there are six participating states in America that allow the union of gay couples. On May 17, 2004 Massachusetts was the first state to legally accept same-sex marriage. Following suit on November 12, 2008 was Connecticut. Not soon after in 2009, Iowa authorized on April 3, Vermont on September 1 and Decem... ... middle of paper ... ...on of gay/lesbian and heterosexual adoption. Adoption Quarterly, 12, 129-151 (Averett, Nalvany, Ryan, 2009) -Borch III, F.L. (2010). The history of “don’t ask don’t tell” in the army: how we got it and why it is what it is. Military Law Review, 203, 189-206. (Borch, 2010) -Hulse, C. (2010, December 19). Senate repeals ban against openly gay military personnel. The New York Times, p. A1 (Hulse, 2010) -Mulrine, Anna “Pentagon: ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ could be gone by September” Christian Science Monitor (April 2011) pg 1 -Onderko, P. “The (same sex) family next door”. Parenting early years, 25(2), p. 74-77 (March 2011): retrieved from EBSCOHost April 12, 2011 (Onderko, 2011) -Wedgwood, Ralph, "The Fundamental Argument for Same-Sex Marriage," Journal of Political Philosophy, 7:225-242 (Sept.1999): retrieved from EBSCOHost April 2, 2011 (Wedgewood, 1999)
Thomas B. Stoddard’s “Gay Marriages: Make Them Legal” is a successfully written argument with some minor flaws in technique. Stoddard uses this article to present his major claim, or central thesis, on the reasons gay marriage should be legalized. He presents his argument using minor claims. In a lecture on February 2, 2005, James McFadden stated a minor claim is the secondary claim in an argument. Stoddard uses minor claims in his discussion of homosexual people being denied their rights by the government and by others who discriminate against them. He also discusses how love and the desire for commitment play a big part in the argument for and against gay marriage.
In the essay “Why gays shouldn’t serve” by David Horowitz he states that “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell policy is a way of containing the destructive force of sex on a combat capability called Unit Cohesion. (354)” This controversial topic has surfaced more and more recently because Barack Obama wanted to let all people serve in the military, regardless of their sexual orientation. “More than 1,000 retired flag and general officers have joined us in signing an open letter to President Obama and Congress, repeal of this law would prompt many dedicated people to leave the military (James J. Lindsay).” There are multiple points you could focus on when trying to explain your point on why gays or lesbians should not serve in the military. The first point we will be focusing on is: how would military life change if straight men or women knew that there were gays or lesbians sleeping next to them? The second point is: would straight men and women communicate with the gays or lesbians the same way as they would toward other straight men or women? The third and final point is: how would other countries view our military if they knew we had gays or lesbians in the military?
McGowan, Jeffrey. Major Conflict: One Gay Man’s Life in the Don’t-ask-don’t-tell Military. New York: Broadway, 2005. Print.
Erdely, Sabrina Rubin. “The Rape of Petty Officer Blumer: Inside the military's culture of sex abuse, denial and cover-up”. The Rolling Stones Magazine. 14 February 2013. Web. 4 November 2013
O'Keefe, Ed. "Minorities disproportionately discharged for 'don't ask, don't tell' violations." Washington Post 17 August 2010, Print.
Tasker, Fiona. "Same-Sex Parenting and Child Development: Reviewing the Contribution of Parental Gender." Journal of Marriage and Family 72.1 (2010): 35–40.
Social causes such as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and same-sex marriage laws contribute to homosexuals choosing to hide their real self. In the military, many homosexual soldiers are being punished for not liking the opposite sex. In Burks article, “Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Victimization in the Military” he describes the struggles service members face. Burk explains that if a homosexual does not hide his sexual orientation than he or she will be discharged from the military. Between 1980 and 2009 over 32,000 service members were discharged due to their sexual-orientation. Also, sexual assault and sexual harassment is very common among service members...
One of the many issues that homophobic people have against homosexuals is that being brought up in an “untraditional” home is not good for the children. There have...
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
A large majority of people in the United States will say that they are in favor of equal rights for homosexuals. They will all agree that homosexuals should have the same rights in housing, jobs, public accommodations, and should have equal access to government benefits, equal protection of the law, and other rights granted to US citizens. However, when the topic of marriage arises, all the talk of equality ceases. Over fifty percent of all people in the United States oppose homosexual marriage, despite the fact that most are otherwise supportive of homosexual rights. This means that many of the same people who are even passionately in favor of homosexual rights oppose homosexuals on this one issue. This is because there is a lot of misunderstanding about what homosexuality really is, as well as the erroneous assumption that homosexual people enjoy the same civil rights protections as everyone else. For the reasons of ending social injustice, the economic and social benefits of allowing homosexuals to marry, and the constitution, homosexual marriages should be a legalized institution.
As of 2015, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community continues to struggle for equal rights held by their straight counterparts. Socially, LGBT persons are subject to discrimination, hate crimes, and stigma, while legally, LGBT persons encounter obstacles that preclude them from basic rights afforded to every other subculture in America. One of the most divisive issues related to LGBT rights has been same-sex marriage, which has been creating conflict both politically and socially dating back to the 1970’s (Finnis, 1997). Those in favor of same-sex marriage argue that regardless of gender or sexual preference, marriage is a basic right that the government has no legitimate interest in blocking. Opponents argue that same-sex marriage is ethically and morally wrong, and they cite reasons spanning from religious beliefs to the creation of a slippery slope that would lead to the demise of the institution of marriage (Volokh, n.d.). Faced with the difficult task of balancing both sides of the equation, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the policy that will be analyzed in this paper.
In the 21st century, the United States Armed Forces has dealt with many issues. The most apparent topics in today’s media are; ethics, sexual assault, posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol related incidents, participation of gay and lesbians serving in the U.S. military, and representation of the United States uniform 24 hours a day. Although mass media often helps to discredit the military, the United States Armed Forces responds in various ways to systematically improve their operations and training procedures.
...oldiers seek employment as police officers after their discharge. Due to this the military-police integration, it has the tolerance level toward gays and lesbians in law enforcement is similarly affected by how they are treated in the military. The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is increasing in strength; homosexual police officers are starting to obtain more recognition. “An important achievement that New York’s GOAL tries to create is one of their most important objectives is to protect gay and lesbian officers from being mistreated in the workplace. “We can benefit from gay and lesbian police officers because they represent more than just a human rights effort, they also represent a range or roles and skills that can enhance the flexibility of police work without forgetting the real mission are to fight crime and protect the people. (Miller, Forest, Jurik) 2003.”
Over the last years the topic of same-sex marriage has been of great importance to our society. The idea of the same gender being lawfully married is disturbing to a group of people but in the recent years the number of supporters has increased. The cases that argue for the legalization of same-sex marriage are focusing on the relationship of the individuals and do not see anything in same-sex marriage that could harm our society as a whole. The article “How the President go to ‘I Do’ on Same-Sex Marriage,” published by Joe Becker in April 2014, explains how Barack Obama started saying that he was undecided about the subject matter but is now leaning toward the legalization of same-sex marriage. The subject matter takes a lot of analyzing of what pros and cons are to come from the legalization of same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage is a global argument that deals with unifying two individuals of the same gender under the law. The main reason that supporters give for justifying same-sex marriage is that it is for the same reason as straight people, to show love and commitment to each other. Furthermore, the argument of same-sex marriage is difficult to generalize because of the multiple factors that need to be taken in consideration when making any decision regarding this topic. Although Becker does have true premises, he lacks clarity in his terms which make his argument be false and invalid.
The recognition of same-sex marriage is a political, social, and religious issue. Because of this same-sex marriage is a very controversial topic. Legal acknowledgement of same sex marriage is commonly referred to as marriage equality. Many advocates of marriage equality argue that laws restricting marriage to only heterosexuals discriminate against homosexuals. On the other hand advocates against same-sex marriage argue that it would undo long-standing traditions and change the meaning of marriage in a damaging manor. In this essay I will be arguing for same-sex marriage. The arguments mentioned as well as others will be discusses throughout this paper.