Gay Marriage

No one likes to be told what he or she can or cannot do. Parents do it to protect their children; bosses do it to direct people with their jobs. However, why are some people so focused and driven to control others they don't even know? People who oppose gay marriages fit into this category. People against gay marriages say that it is not natural to be a homosexual. Even by ignoring the biological belief that homosexuals are born with a different sexual orientation, this is still an absurd argument. The world is full of "unnatural" things, but most of the time we just look the other way. Along with the development of civilization came the concept of tolerance. It was not long ago that interracial marriages were considered taboo in our society. Many people thought those marriages were not "natural". In fact, interracial marriages were illegal in thirteen states until 1967 (So you want to know about gay marriage). Today if someone opposes an interracial marriage, the majority of the population would now say that the person is just a racist and needs to mind his own business. So why are gay marriages so different from that scenario? Even if people are not born gay, why is it anyone's concern if they chose to live their life that way? A homosexual couple does not inflict physical harm on anyone who happens to see them together. Moreover, when someone is in public, can you tell who is married and who is not, just by looking at them? Why deny them the right to express their commitment to each other through the institution of marriage? If two people are gay and they want to be together, they are going to be together whether other people approve of the relationship or not. President Bush has been trying to put into effect an amendment to ban gay marriages. If this were to happen, it would violate over 1,100 rights, protections, and benefits guaranteed to the citizens of the United States (Oppose the discriminatory "Federal Anti-Marriage Amendment). The Constitution has been amended seventeen times in the past; however, all of these cases were to PROTECT the rights and civil liberties, not to deny them (Oppose the Discriminatory "Federal Anti-Marriage Amendment"). With this it bring the exception of Prohibition, which took away the privilege of alcohol consumption. This amendment, however, was enacted to PROTECT our citizens, but was later repelled due to its ineffectiveness. The amendment would actually have the cause of "defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman" (Oppose the Discriminatory "Federal Anti-Marriage Amendment"). However, the amendment that has been proposed not only defines marriage, but also denies things like hospital visitation rights, inheritance rights, and health care benefits (Oppose the Discriminatory "Federal Anti-Marriage Amendment"). Is it not ironic that the group that refers to themselves as "pro-family" are fighting to get this amendment passed? The government wants to pass an amendment that denies certain people to chance to build a family. This leads to the subject of adoption. Who is to say that a homosexual is an unfit parent? People all over the world are criminals, addicts, and abusers, yet they are "allowed" to have families. As of today, only nineteen states allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt (Gay Rights). In regards to the argument that a child needs both a mother and a father figure: what about all the people who are divorced, widowed, or have never had a spouse? Are those people to be considered unfit parents? There are other essential family figures such as grandparents, extended families, and close family friends. Many anti-gay extremists tend to be very religious. They argue that it is said in the Bible that to be a homosexual is a sin. This argument is insignificant do to the fact that it is taken from the book of Leviticus which is written in the Old Testament. The New Testament however was then written and became the new guidelines for Christians and this argument is not stated in it. Another group that feels same-sex marriages should be illegal is homophobes. These are people who are afraid of homosexuals. This group does not necessarily believe it is wrong for two people of the same sex to be together, but they do not understand it, and people tend to fear what they do not understand. If these people would just open their minds a little they would see that homosexuals are people just like them and deserve to but treated as such. Our President, George W. Bush is against allowing homosexuals to be married (On the Issues). Most Republicans seem have the same opinion. Because homosexuals want equal rights, they expect benefits, insurance, etc. Anyone who refuses someone the right to be married just because they don't want to pay for their benefits is selfish.
In 1996 former President Bill Clinton enacted the "Defense of Marriage Act". This piece of legislation has two jobs: first to ensure that no state shall be required to give effect to the law of any other state with respect to same-sex marriage. Secondly, it defines the words "marriage" and "spouse" for the Federal law (Defense of Marriage Act). In short this act made it so that the States could decide whether they would allow gay marriages or not. Also, it defines marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman as a husband and a wife. A sound was defined as a husband or a wife of the opposite sex.
Several cities and states have adopted the "domestic partner" law. This gives same-sex couples some of the benefits of a husband and wife marriage without actually being married. (So you want to know about gay marriage) In 1999 there was a breakthrough Supreme Court case; Baker v. State of Vermont. This case stated that "the state is constitutionally required to extend to the same-sex couples the common benefits and protections that flow from marriage under Vermont law. (So you want to know about gay marriage) Today there are many people who are fighting to get homosexuals the rights and privileges they deserve. There are campaigns, meetings, marches, etc. and the people participating in these events will not fade, they will only grow. Human Rights Campaign held a survey in America to see their stance on gay rights. 51% of citizens said they support allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions and to receive the same basic legal rights as married couples. 52% opposed amending the Constitution. According to a Gallup Poll, 60% of Americans support giving homosexuals the same rights as a married couple, regarding health care and Social Security benefits. Also, the poll found that Catholics were, surprisingly, split down the middle, 48% for and 48% against equal rights. In addition, in past polls, 90% have shown that they support hospital visitation rights and 66% support inheritance rights (Oppose the Discriminatory "Federal Anti-Marriage Amendment"). Progress is slowly coming around, as of today, there are 30,000 legal homosexual marriages in the world and the number is growing. And shockingly, San Francisco is only third on the list with 3955 marriages. The majority of the marriages took place in Canada. However, the marriages that took place in the United States were held in a few day spans when gay marriage was legal and were later voted void by the Supreme Court (Hanson). Gay marriage supporters are all waiting patiently for gay couples to stand out and go against the grain. (Oppose the Discriminatory "Federal Anti-Marriage Amendment").

1. Intro
2. Unnatural
a. Interracial marriages
3. Gay people in public
a. You do not know people around you.
b. No physical harm
c. Permission
4. Amendment
a. Bush
b. Violations
c. History of amendments
d. What the amendment involves
5. Pro-family
6. Adoption
a. One parent concept
7. Extremists
a. Religious
b. Homophobes
c. Republicans
1. Benefits
8. History
a. Clinton and the "Defense of Marriage Act"
b. Domestic Partner Law
c. Baker v. State of Vermont
9. Progress
a. Statistics
b. Marriages
10. Closing

"Defense of Marriage Act" ‘Lectric Law Library. 1996. 12/09/04 http://www.lectlaw.com/files/leg23.htm. "Gay Rights". Speakout.com 12/09/04 http://speakout.com/activism/gayrights/.

"Hanson". Room 321 12/16/04

"On the Issues". On the Issues. 12/09/04 http://www.issues2000.org/George_W__Bush.htm#Gay_Rights. "Oppose the Discriminatory ‘Federal Anti-Marriage Amendment'". Human Rights Campaign. 12/09/04 http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Federal_Constitutional_Marriage_Amendment&CONTENTID=20767&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm. "So You Wanna Know About Gay Marriage". Soyouwant to
.com. 12/09/04 http://soyouwant to
.com/site/pros_cons/gaymarriage/gaymarriage.html.