Gay Marriage Persuasive Essay

For years people have questioned and judged each other’s life styles whether it was a teen pregnancy, drug abuse, and especially a person’s sexuality. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but at what cost? Many people believe it’s wrong to be with someone of the opposite sex but many polls and statistics show that over the years, society has grown accustomed to different life style choices including marriages involving people of the same sex. Now it is time for politicians and the law to catch up with society. Since the 90s the community of homosexuals has stood up and raised their voices about the possibility of legalizing gay marriages. It all started with a lawsuit in Hawaii that made the issue of same sex marriages a major debate in the nation.
People have come up with many excuses as to why they were uncomfortable with even the idea of two men or two women possibly getting married. Many of the citizens who had doubts were active members of a church who developed a strong feeling against the possibility of same sex marriage. Even if some people recognize it’s not a matter of religion but believe it will hurt the terms of traditional marriages. They believe it’s fake and it lacks the basics of a heterosexual marriage. People worry about validating same sex marriages due to their stereotypes of homosexual relationships, parenting complications, their basic issues with homosexuality as a whole due to religion and other outstanding factors.
Since the 60s when homosexuality was widely known in the public eye, people began to generate different ideals and stereotypes of any and every homosexual man or woman. It’s a common idea that the AIDS epidemic was caused by homosexual relations and that homosexuals, especially men, slept around. What most people probably do not know is that statistics show that homosexual unions and marriages tend to last longer than heterosexual marriages and that monogamy is not as big as an issue in homosexual marriages. In 2005 a study found that 60% of all opposite-sex marriages ended within the first decade and 80% in the first 20 years. Most opposite-sex marriages end due to infidelity or communication breakdown. Also, it has been proven that not only do they last longer but they are more ethnically diverse than heterosexual marriages. Also, demographics show most couples were older and better educated than heterosexual newlywed couples. More than 74% were over 35 years old and 69% hold a college degree. Whereas most heterosexual marriages are at relatively young ages; the average age for women is 27 and men is 29. Statistics shows that people marry at relatively young ages have a higher chance of getting divorced, about 60%. Many of these statistics show that homosexual couples are more monogamous and are more prepared for marriage and lifelong commitments than most heterosexual commitments. For most marriages that end in divorce the person who is hit the hardest is the child.
One of the states interest in recognizing marriages is to make sure that children grow up with their biological mom and dad.
Recent studies have shown that in California single parenthood and a divorce that involves children costs California taxpayers $4.8 billion a year and nationwide it costs $112 billion a year. That makes politician’s wonder how much it would cost if same-sex marriages were legalized and ended in divorce, especially if there was a child involved. One possible explanation of why most religious people do not believe in same-sex marriages and especially not marriages with children is to ensure that they are exposed to both sexes. It is important for a child to form their own sexual identity rather than having two moms or two dads. In 2008 about 116,000 same-sex couples across the country were raising a total of about 250,000 children according to an analysis of Census data by Gary J. Gates. In recent years, many of these kids aged 10-40 have become active in campaigns organized by COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere), Lambda Legal, and GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders). These children and adults have become more involved in these types of groups in hopes of changing the laws about same-sex marriages (WILDMAN). Children should be protected during all marriages, not just same-sex marriages. However, children aren’t the only complication that arrives in this debate, basic religious feelings and equal rights laws also raise a big
question in active citizens minds.
Some of the most common objectors of homosexual marriages are religious believers.
Their main source of disbelief is what is said in the Old Testament about homosexual activity. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is argued between both christians and homosexual christians about the reason God killed off the citizens of Sodom. Many believe it’s because Lot invites traveling guests into his home to have intimacies with him and he offers his two daughters, who are virgins, to do as the guests pleases. However, they generalize the men of Sodom accusing them of all being homosexual. Also, Lot offered his daughters to the men, if the men of Sodom were in fact homosexual they would have denied the women, but in the story the visitors were attempting to force the door down. The men and women of Sodom were punished due to the violence that occurred in the story (Genesis 19:4,5). The Bible may be interpreted differently by many, but for some it’s a misunderstanding. Believing that homosexulity is a sin may be a mistake but it’s all about how people interpret the Bible itself. However, marriage is not only a religious binding, it’s also a legal way of recognizing couples. There are differences between same-sex and opposite-sex marriages that could change the way some view same-sex marriages. The difference between heterosexual marriages and homosexual marriages is that heterosexual marriages are recognized by the church and the state whereas homosexual marriages would only be documented
by the state. Some states offer civil unions to same-sex couples to maintain the commitment, reminiscent of a common law marriage, but it isn’t recognized outside of state borders and it doesn’t have the equal benefits of a real marriage. Civil unions and marriages are separate and disproportionate. On the other hand, legalizing same-sex marriages, it wouldn’t force any religious institution to recognize the marriage if they didn’t approve. The state and its people should realize that equal marriage is not a matter of religious beliefs; it’s a matter of law. To cut a long story short, there are many misconceptions about legalizing gay marriage. The few that do exist around the world tend to last longer than heterosexual marriages and they tend to have fewer infidelities. Some of the children who were raised in a household with homosexual parents grew up to be proud of their parent’s sexuality and participate in organizations working towards legalizing their parents unions. Religious aspects of discriminating against homosexuals may be an incorrect presumption but is unknown due to the many interpretations of the Bible. Also, there is a difference between homosexual marriages and heterosexual marriages in the sense of religion if people still feel strongly about the sexuality. No one is forcing religious institutions to practice, perform, or condone homosexual marriages; they just want what is rightfully theirs. Same-sex couples want a chance for the rest of the world to legally recognize their union.