Same-Sex Marriage

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Same-Sex Marriage

The United States is known world wide for its civil rights and freedoms. Many Americans are appalled by the idea of same-sex marriages. What?s wrong with the idea of two people who care greatly for one another wanting to spend their lives together? The gay community is misunderstood because many straights are not willing to listen. These individuals would rather just be closed-minded in this situation and reticent to really think about what this means to the gay community and the country. Same sex couples are not asking for any special rights; they are just asking to be treated equal with opposite sex couples. The explanations given by many Americans against gay marriages are based on false assumptions and unsubstantiated arguments. However, the real and unspoken reasons many heterosexuals have against same-sex marriages are based on religious beliefs.

There are a number of false assumptions the straight community has regarding same sex marriages. Marriage is a basic human right and an individual personal choice. The government should not interfere with same-sex couples who choose to marry and share fully and equally in the rights, responsibilities, and commitment of the institution of marriage. The real nature of marriage is not a relationship between a man and a woman but rather a binding commitment between two adults. Another false assumption regarding same sex marriages is that the institution of marriage is for procreation. If so, why are infertile individuals allowed to marry? Why are childless couples allowed to remain married? The false assumption that the institution of marriage ensures the continuation of the species is hard to visualize with the current population of the world. The notion of institution of marriage being threatened by same-sex marriages is an additional false assumption by the straight community. In the 1950?s miscegenation laws prevented interracial marriages between whites and blacks. A 1967 United States Supreme Court decision finally legalized mixed race marriages. Interracial marriages have not irreparably harmed the institution of marriage. The false assumption of marriage being between a man and a woman, for procreation, continuation of the species, and that the institution of marriage will be threatened by same sex marriages is unfounded.

Opponents of same-sex marriage argue that it is immoral,...

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...ntry struggled with whether women should vote. There was fear that our country would decline if women voted for it too was an untried social experiment. However, the country did not decline after women won the right to vote nor did it decline when blacks were given the right to vote. The history of our country is that of expanding civil rights. This fundamental civil right should be afforded to all loving and committed adult couples throughout our country not just opposite-sex couples. Reticence to understand homosexuality causes many straights to not be comfortable with homosexuality and believe same-sex marriage is unnatural. Furthermore, many straights cite religious reasons as just cause for not legalizing same-sex marriages.

Same-sex marriages should be legalized in the United States. This country has steadily opened the minds of Americans to the meaning of equality and freedom evidenced by allowing blacks and women to vote and allowing interracial marriages. The time has come to get past the false assumptions and unsubstantiated arguments. It is time to understand that religious beliefs need to be separated from the state and to legalize gay marriage. It?s a civil right.

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