Gay Marriage and Divorce

Gay Marriage One may argue that same sex marriage is unconstitutional, and the law discriminates allowing the federal government to pick and choose which marriages it likes and which it doesn 't. On December 10th, 1924 The Society for Gay Rights, founded by Henry Gerber in Chicago, is the country’s earliest known gay rights organization. In 1948 Biologist and sex researcher Alfred Kinsey published a document called Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. In his findings we learn that homosexual behavior is not solely contributed to those who identify themselves as being homosexual, and 37 percent of men admitted to enjoying a homosexual encounter at least once. However, other psychologists and psychiatrists in the 1940s considered homosexuality an illness at this time. Even though American acceptance of homosexual marriage has greatly increased over time it is one of the most controversial topics in society and religion. On November 10th, 1950, Harry Hay founded America’s first “national” gay rights organization which he called The Society of Fools, which later will become The Mattachine Society. The society consisted of Rudi Gernreich, Dale Jennings, and a homosexual couple, Chuck Rowland and Bob Hull. Their goals were to unify homosexuals isolated from their own kind, educate homosexuals and heterosexuals toward an ethical homosexual culture paralleling cultures of the Negro, Mexican, and Jewish peoples, lead the more socially conscious homosexual to provide leadership to the whole mass of social deviates and assist gays who are victimized daily as a result of oppression. In the same year, a Senate report titled "Employment of Homosexuals and Other Sex Perverts in Government," was distributed to all members of Congress after the federal government had secretly investigated employees ' sexual orientation at the beginning of the cold war. The report read that since homosexuality is a “mental illness,” homosexuals “constitute security risks" to the nation because "those who engage in overt acts of perversion lack the emotional stability of normal persons." Over the years prior more than 4,380 gay men and women had been discharged from the military due to their “condition” and about 500 fired from their jobs in the government. This purging of homosexuals will later be known as the “lavender scare.” Homosexuality is very misunderstood by much of society and we, as humans, are known to fear that which we don’t understand and associate it with adverse characteristics. In its first publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1952, The American Psychiatric Association lists homosexuality as a sociopathic personality disturbance. In response to the manual many professionals in medicine, mental health and social sciences criticize the categorization due to lack of empirical and scientific data. One year later President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Executive Order 10450, which banned homosexuals from working for the federal government or any of its private contractors. The order lists homosexuals as security risks, along with alcoholics and neurotics. Although knowledge and studies of homosexuality at this time was very limited, to say that someone cannot be allowed to perform in some sort of job or task based on something that is out of control is unconstitutional to say the least. Another very controversial topic about homosexuality is whether or not it’s a lifestyle choice or did it happen by nature? The majority of homosexual individuals, if asked, will report that they believe is it one hundred percent by nature, as gay rights activist Lady Gaga (Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) would say “We were born this way.” A recent study showed that gay men and heterosexual women share similarly shaped brains. This has been known as the study “The religious right never ever, ever wants you to see," since it contains scientific evidence on the side of gay people, some people believe that this is the most compelling evidence that being gay or straight is a biologically fixed trait (Ian Sample). A fact that very few people know is that the thought that homosexuality is a choice was created by those who disapproved it, such as the churches, looking for a way to condemn them. However, many homosexuals will admit that they chose to be this way so even to this day the argument continues. Although marriage is a sacred ceremony that takes place between two people who love each other and are of a certain age I don’t believe this is the only topic we should be focusing on. Discrimination of homosexuals or any time of person who is different from the norm is illegal and morally unacceptable. In Buffalo, New York lived Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-year-old bi-sexual freshman in his high school. Jamey was bullied most of his life before even coming to terms with his sexuality, and when he came out it only got worse. Everyday he was tormented about being bi-sexual and told that he should kill himself and all gays go to hell, but with the great support of his friends and family Jamey kept an optimistic attitude. In September Jamey posted a video to the “It Gets Better” support website for LGBT, (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender) but sadly it did not get better for him as he took his own life shortly after. On September 2, 2011 California state senate passed Seth’s law which was created to lessen the harassment of LGBT students in the state schools. All states should pass some type of law that specifically targets bullying of any sort and have consequences that quickly follow. Denying homosexuals the right to marry, or be in the army, or do anything that a heterosexual individual is allowed to do is rebuilding the wall with the idea that we are not created equal. I believe The old saying “history repeats itself” can be found in any situation, for example in 1887 when America passed the first “Separate but equal” segregation law separating the whites and the colored races. The law stated that by giving colored the same rights as whites and keeping the separated from each other they were made equal. However in 1954 the Brown v. Board of Education case the obvious fact was made that if something is separate it cannot in fact be equal. This can be reapplied in todays society as homosexuals being treated as the colored races and not receiving the same treatment because of a factor that, for some, is out of their control. As of November 2012, nine states recognize and allow gay marriage as well as the District of Columbia and two Native American tribes. Based on adherence to the Constitution shouldn’t this number be higher? As Americans we are allowed freedom of choice, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech and to disallow same-sex marriage is clearly unconstitutional. In 2011 homosexuals and their spouses were denied social security and other benefits because the federal government discriminates against homosexual couples.
A worker pays into Social Security his entire life, but his surviving spouse is denied those benefits simply because that spouse is a man. Two women build a life together, but one is a foreign national; because her spouse lacks the right to sponsor her for immigration, the couple is forced to choose between love and country. An employee 's wife falls ill, but she cannot take unpaid leave to care for her, because the Family and Medical Leave Act does not cover same-sex couples. The spouses of lesbian and gay people who serve in uniform are excluded from military family benefits. (Joe Solmonese)
These are just a few instances in which homosexuals do not receive the same treatment as heterosexuals. The attorney who handled one of these cases in the Justice Department stated, “Gays and lesbians have faced a history of discrimination; sexual orientation is not relevant to a person 's ability to contribute to society; in the opinion of experts, sexual orientation is something that cannot be changed; and gays and lesbians are politically disadvantaged.” Although there is still much fighting and controversy about homosexual acceptance in the world still I believe we are making much progress to learning to accept them as part of our everyday society.

Works Cited
"American Experience: TV 's Most-watched History Series." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/stonewall/>.
Saad, Lydia. "U.S. Acceptance of Gay/Lesbian Relations Is the New Normal." U.S. Acceptance of Gay/Lesbian Relations Is the New Normal. N.p., 14 May 2012. Web. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/154634/acceptance-gay-lesbian-relations-new-normal.aspx>.
Siddique, Haroon. "Homosexuality: Biology or Choice?" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 15 June 0050. Web. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2008/jun/17/homosexualitybiologyorchoic>.
Solmonese, Joe. "The Defense of Marriage Act Is Unconstitutional Discrimination." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 14 Mar. 2011. Web. <http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2011/03/14/the-defense-of-marriage-act-is-unconstitutional-discrimination>.
Sample, Ian. "Gay Men and Heterosexual Women Have Similarly Shaped Brains, Research Shows." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 16 June 2008. Web. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/jun/16/neuroscience.psychology>.

Cited: "American Experience: TV 's Most-watched History Series." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. &lt;http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/stonewall/&gt;. Saad, Lydia. "U.S. Acceptance of Gay/Lesbian Relations Is the New Normal." U.S. Acceptance of Gay/Lesbian Relations Is the New Normal. N.p., 14 May 2012. Web. &lt;http://www.gallup.com/poll/154634/acceptance-gay-lesbian-relations-new-normal.aspx&gt;. Siddique, Haroon. "Homosexuality: Biology or Choice?" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 15 June 0050. Web. &lt;http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/blog/2008/jun/17/homosexualitybiologyorchoic&gt;. Solmonese, Joe. "The Defense of Marriage Act Is Unconstitutional Discrimination." US News. U.S.News &amp; World Report, 14 Mar. 2011. Web. &lt;http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2011/03/14/the-defense-of-marriage-act-is-unconstitutional-discrimination&gt;. Sample, Ian. "Gay Men and Heterosexual Women Have Similarly Shaped Brains, Research Shows." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 16 June 2008. Web. &lt;http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/jun/16/neuroscience.psychology&gt;.