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gender discrimination in today's society
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Over the years in our country’s history it has been apparent that the idea of same sex marriages is becoming much more popular, however in most states there is still one thing stopping them. That one thing stopping two people from the pursuit of happiness which they desire is a social injustice. Social injustices are situations where a person or group of people is treated unfairly due to certain factors for example discrimination, prejudice, racism, heterosexism, sexism, and so forth. In the case of same sex marriages, the factor playing a major role in this social injustice is where most people believe that opposite sexes attract, but in the case of a same sex couple wanting to be married, this brings about many topics to be discussed by people, as not everyone thinks the same way. Everyday a same sex couple wants to get married but is either denied their want, or is forced to conform to a civil union. This should not be the case however; people of the same sex should be allowed what every other couple is allowed due to the fact that each and every person has the right to happiness, and the right to marriage despite their sexual orientation.
In order to have same sex marriages be allowed in all states of the United States of America, it would be vital to get a large group of people together that the social injustice was preventing from happiness and bring their stories courts. It would be important for everyone to have their point of view heard, and for the courts to see how many people their social injustice was affecting by not allowing people of the same sex to be married. The first step in making a change in this social injustice would be trying the courts. It has been seen through many events such as the Black Power Mov...
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...st for everyone. People will always disagree with things people do, but you cannot deny an individual the right to happiness and a life they deserve just as any other person does. The change would allow happiness for those who want it the most. After all the United States is a place which was started because people wanted a better life, so why deny people a better life, one which they’ll enjoy. Allow same sex marriage, and stop social injustices that continue to form!
Works Cited
Peters, Jeremy W. "Would Gay Marriage Help the State Economy? - NYTimes.com." Metro - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com. Web. 02 May 2011. .
"U.S. Constitution | LII / Legal Information Institute." LII | LII / Legal Information Institute. Web. 03 May 2011. .
Wolf, Richard. “Timeline: Same-Sex marriage through the years.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 26 June 2015,
In a country with it’s fundamentals based on liberty and equality, America has always struggled with those very concepts. Throughout history, Americans have been challenged to make decisions that have oppressed and freed certain groups of people. The political fight for same-sex marriages is a perfect example of this notion. This relation between spouses has created a major controversy that is creating history in our nation. A series of protests, acts and political scandal has finally opened America to discuss a topic that had been in “the closet” for a long time. This discussion asks questions that have caused a visceral reaction in society. Questions such as whether gays and lesbians should marry, and if so, should they be granted the same matrimony rights as heterosexual couples? Should marriage be protected to fit traditional American values? How would these unions affect or contribute to our definition of such a celebrated institution? .
A debate is raging in America about who people have a right to marry. In response to lesbians and gays asking for the right to marry, many legislators are writing laws to ban same-sex marriage in their respective states. Even President Bush supports a Constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage (prez.bush.marriage/). Opponents of such legislation do not want discrimination passed into law and are protesting at every opportunity. One must understand the reasons that people want to ban same-sex marriage before he or she can effectively argue about the subject. Many advocates of same-sex marriage bans say that allowing gays and lesbians to marry would degrade the institution of marriage because marriage is only supposed to exist between a man and woman. In addition, allowing same-sex marriage would cause problems for society (Issues and Controversies on File). One theory why opponents may fight against same-sex marriages is that heterosexual marriages have long reinforced traditional gender roles within marriage and that allowing same-sex marriages would cause males to lose their authority to subordinate females as heterosexual couples begin to model same-sex marriage gender equality (Calhoun 157).
Throughout the recent history of America, gay marriage has always been an issue. With the different views and morals everyone has on the subject, it makes it hard for individual states to determine what side they should be on. In 1983 a Harvard Law School student, Evan Wolfson, wrote a thesis stating the rule of marriage equality. Justices concluded that gay couples were entitled to the legal benefits of civil marriage; and most crucially in the Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts, whose favorable ruling, in a suit by lawyer Mary Bonauto and the Boston-based Gay and Lesbian Advocated and Defenders, led to the nation’s first bona fide same-sex marriages…” (“Gay Marriage turns 10 and Credit Should Be Spread around- The Boston Globe). On May 17, 2004 Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriages. In June of 2013, California legalized gay marriages, which helped their large LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered) community. (“History and Timeline of the Freedom…”). When this finally happened, it was seen as a great achievement by Karmala Harris, a California Attorney. “This is a profound day in our country, and its just the right thing: ‘Justice is finally being served’” (“Court Gives OK for California Gay Marriages”).
So how does one eliminate these social injustices? One would think that is it easy to just stop the behaviors and actions that cause theses injustices. But, how can this be achieved if the individuals and groups violating these rights are not aware that these are in fact violations of civil rights. One must not sit in silence, but create the voice of change. Social Workers and community officials should encourage and empower the community. The citizens and disenfranchise must be the catalyst for Social Justice and restore rights granted by the constitution.
In the United States, over 17 states have legalized same sex marriage. In addition, around 16 countries have been able to legalize gay marriages too. This was an incredible breakthrough since same sex marriages had increased over the years. Individuals have the right to marry and get married to their preferred partners. However, there is still an opposition on gay marriages from many groups around the globe today. The groups feel that same sex marriages should be illegal and that; they are against the law and violate the marriage institution. In addition, they argue that, gay marriages are against the biblic...
Same-sex marriage is one of the leading political topics in the United States today. There is an ongoing dispute pertaining to the legalization of same-sex marriages. America has shifted its head to focusing on supporting same-sex marriage or not. Many are for and against this topic but there has been no settlement for it yet. Homosexuals want to marry for the same reason that heterosexuals have and there should be no reason why they are not allowed to. There is some history behind this topic but there has yet to be a solution.
Page - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net. Ed. Steve Mount. Craig Walenta, 24 Jan.
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.
Same sex couples have been fighting for their equality for centuries. They’ve been beaten, bullied, shunned, and kicked out of their homes just because they don’t fit the “correct mold” by loving someone of the same gender. Change is finally starting to happen in America, though. In 2015, the supreme court ruled that same sex marriage should be protected by the constitution and the public views on this increased from 27% to 60% aproval (gaymarriage.procon.org 1).
In society, the people that constitute marriage are the policy makers in our government. Unfortunately, marriage is a privilege and not a right. In some states, homosexuals are not allowed to get married (Lamanna and Reidmann, pg. 276). Although people in s...
There are approximately 594,000 same-sex couples living in the U.S. today. However, less than 2% of same-sex couples are married (“Gay Marriage Statistics” 1). Prejudice against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual (LGBT) community has existed for years. LGBT individuals are often bullied, abused, and denied their basic rights and benefits. The right to marry is one of them. Same-sex marriage should be legalized because marriage is indeed a civil right, it provides many benefits, and would be beneficial to society as a whole.
Gay marriage has been a controversial issue for over half a century; one of the issues is where gays aren’t allowed to marry another individual of the same sex. There have been propositions, bans and legalizations on same-sex marriage that differ from state to state. Some states for example such as California and New York allow gay marriage and the remaining states disagree with that decision. The thoughts and beliefs of citizens of different states also have conflict, especially in the southeastern region of the United States as they are anti-gay. Some individuals feel that in the traditional definition that marriage is usually between one man and one woman. However, there are others who believe that true love does not have a gender and everyone has the right to marry whomever the want. Even if the whole nation decided to officially prohibit gay marriage, or legalize it, there will always be people with logical and moral conflicting opinions and judgments on same-sex marriage. The main argument is to analyze what actually determines a marriage to be acceptable or unacceptable to society.
Same sex marriage is a very controversial topic in today’s society. We live in a society filled with ignorance. The ignorance that poisons the minds of people that oppose same sex marriage blinds them from the reality of the “problem”. People argue that same sex marriage should be illegal for reasons that will have no negative impact on their lives. The reality of this topic is that legalizing same sex marriage promotes the increase of adoption, human rights and equality, as well as the separation of the church and state.
In conclusion I argue that banning same-sex marriage is discriminatory. It is discriminatory because it denies homosexuals the many benefits received by heterosexual couples. The right to marriage in the United States has little to do with the religious and spiritual meaning of marriage. It has a lot to do with social justice, extending a civil right to a minority group. This is why I argue for same-sex marriage. The freedom to marry regardless of gender preference should be allowed.