Same Sex Marriage From Other States example essay topic

"I do", these words change people's lives forever. Whether this phrase is coming from a heterosexual couple or a same-sex couple, it should not be an issue. However, in today's society this matter has become a reality. It is a constant battle for homosexuals to live with the limitations society imposes on them, such as the ability to marry. The homosexual community faces this problem of discrimination everyday, in which it is illegal for them to live a life of legal monogamy much like heterosexual couples. Same-sex marriages deserve to be legalized in this country.

People need to face reality and what the future holds. Society also needs to start worrying about more important issues such as child abuse, terrorism, and sexual abuse, rather than two men "tying the knot" or two women devoting the rest of their lives to each other. Love is a human right and it should not be taken away from anyone, whether they are gay or straight. Homosexual couples should be entitled to the same marriage rights as heterosexual couples. People who think homosexuals want to have special rights have the wrong idea.

If anything, they want the rights that were given to them in the constitution. "Marriage, the Supreme Court declared in 1967 in Loving vs. Virginia, 'one of the basic civil rights of man' (and, presumably, of woman as well). The freedom to marry, said the Court, is 'essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness' " (Stoddard, Fundamental 240). Heterosexuals have an advantage over the gay community, because same-sex marriage is illegal in 48 of the 50 states and heterosexual marriage is legal in all of the 50 states. If the Constitution states all men are created equal, why are such inequalities prevalent in society today?

If there is such a thing called separation between church and state, why does it not apply to this concern? The Christian religion and numerous other religions believe homosexuality is a mortal sin. However, if the leaders of these religions would research their material better, they would find Jesus was never given credit for any statement regarding homosexuality. The only piece mentions of homosexuality, the Christian Bible found in the Book of Leviticus. Leviticus says that, "No man should lay with a man as he lies with woman, which many scholars now believe was referring to gay prostitutes and not gay persons in general" (King James, Chapter 17). The correlation between the laws of our government and the beliefs of some religions intertwine, which is unconstitutional.

If we live in America, the land of the free, the land of opportunity, and the land where the government gives us the right to pursue happiness, then where are these rights for homosexuals? President Clinton passed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1991 that has allowed individual states to react differently to any intrusion of marriage that they feel is not proper; and the states have the right to not recognize same-sex marriage from other states if they were to be legalized (Stoddard 35) However, according to the U.S. Constitution's full faith and credit clause, states must recognize each other's laws and regulations. This bill is clearly an unconstitutional, unequaled attack on the right of gays and lesbians. The government is losing its argument quickly because once the Christian conservatives take away who want us all to believe that God hates all homosexuals, the government doesn't have much to defend their side. "Do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband?

Do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife?" One would hear these traditional phrases at a wedding. However, what if it were to be, "Do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband, and do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband?" It is a psychologically known that people are uncomfortable with change. People fear what is strange and unfamiliar to them. When a social norm is disrupted with something that people are not used to, they turn their head. Nevertheless, how can they turn their heads when they know that two people love each other?

To have the right of marriage taken away from two people just because they are of the same gender, it is unjustified. A person cannot help with whom he or she falls in love, whether it be a person of the same or opposite sex. Furthermore, it needs to be reconsidered a social norm. Marriage in itself has changed throughout the years. Recently homosexuals are dealing with the problem of exchanging vows, but in the past, wives who were once considered subordinate to their male husbands are now considered equal partners in the relationship. Another change society has gone through is the acceptance of interracial marriages.

In the past, people of immensely different cultures were unable to marry, but today it is widely accepted. Additionally in the modern society, divorce is more prevalent where as in the past, divorce was not even thought of under the worst conditions. With so much change over the past century then why cannot same-sex marriages occur? Hopefully with the progression of time those who oppose homosexual marriages will come to reason with this issue of human rights and understand that same-sex marriages are, all in all, not that big of a deal much like the other issues of marriages from the past. The gay community makes up a large percentage of the United States population, statistically; one out of every ten people is homosexual.

With so many homosexuals living in America, it is hard to believe that the legal unions of their relationships still go unrecognized by the United States government. Whereas for years in other countries such as Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium, same-sex couples have had their marriages federally recognized. America is the place of freedom and liberty for all, this is hard to believe considering the fact that homosexuals do not have the freedom to marry whom ever they desire. One right, which every human has, is the right to get married. However, this right is denied in 98 percent of the United States to homosexuals. Reasons for marriage are far more personnel than law or religion.

If it should be left up to anyone to decide to get married it should be the couple themselves not the government or society. Pressures from the government, religions, and society in general cause hardships for those homosexuals who want to get married, which is in the wrong for our modern society to think and impose on homosexuals. Even though it may be two men or two women sharing wedding vows, they still should be entitled to the right of marriage.