Gay Marriage

Same-Sex Marriage One of the most interesting social issues in modern times is the issue of same-sex marriage. The core of the issue is whether marriage should be strictly limited to persons of the opposite gender and whether such limitation is ethical. Legally, the states within the United States have always had jurisdiction over marriage laws, but surprisingly, many of the states had never defined marriage to be a union a man and a woman. It was only after some states began granting gays the right to marry that many other states decided to preemptively bar gay marriage by creating laws that define marriage to be a union between persons of the opposite gender. Even Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, which defined marriage as a legal union that is exclusively between one man and one woman. The moral question is: is it ethical or moral to define marriage to be a union between a man and a woman, and to be ban gays from marriage? One of the arguments used by opponents of gay marriage is that the Christian Bible defines marriage to be between one woman and one man, and that “God” forbids homosexual acts, and therefore, opposes gay marriage. But isn’t deferring to the Bible or Christian ideology or any religious ideology to justify state legislation a violation of the Constitutional tenet of the separation of church and state? I believe it is. I believe the separation of church and state protects the rights of all who choose to practice their chosen religion as well as the rights of all those who choose not to practice any religion; therefore, one cannot cite religious beliefs to deny or allow gays the right to marriage. Another argument put forth by opponents of gay marriage is that marriage is a tradition, and as a tradition, we must look to the past for its definition. Same-sex marriage opponents affirm that historically, marriage has always been between one woman and one man, and therefore, same-sex marriage cannot be allowed. Then, by