Gay Marriage Research Paper

In recent years, the debate over gay marriage has grown from an issue that occasionally arose in a few states to a nationwide controversy. People have opposing viewpoints on whether gays should be allowed to marry or not, and the sub topics that coincide with gay marriage. People wonder if it is okay for gays to marry, and if so, should it be legal everywhere? In the United States I 2009, some states like Iowa, Vermont, and Connecticut allow gays to marry, while states like California, Florida, and Arizona have constitutions that prohibit same-sex marriages. "Most supporters of same-sex marriage contend that gay and lesbian couples should be treated no differently than their heterosexual counterparts and that they should be able to marry like anyone else" (Masci, par. 2). Gay marriage may conflict with some religions, but who's to say what people can believe in? Many people believe, or do not believe, in many different things and it is up to the homosexual and what he or she believes in to determine whether that person can get married or not. Gays shouldn't be treated differently, because they are regular people like everyone else in the world. Besides, denying gays of marriage "is a violation of religious freedom… [and] the First Amendment of the Constitution clearly states that a person's religious views or lack thereof must be protected" (Messerli, par. 2). People against gay marriage argue that "marriage has always been defined as being between one man and one woman" (Blair, 305) but that is not necessarily true evertwhere. There are different people and cultures around the world that practice polygamy, when a man has multiple wives, and polyandry, when a women can have multiple husbands. The real modern day definition of marriage should be something like "an accepted union between two people". Besides, "the only thing that should matter in marriage is love. "The number one reason that heterosexuals marry is not to establish legal status, allow joint

Cited: Blair, Gregory. "Who Cares If Gays Marry?" Viewpoints Ed. W. Royce Adams. 7th ed. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2007, 305-306. Print Masci, David. "A Contentious Debate: Same-Sex Marriage in the U.S." The Pew Forum On Religion and Public Life. Pew Research Center, July 9, 2009. Web. November 27, 2011. Messerli, Joe. "Should Same- Sex Marriages Be Legalized?" Balanced Politics. Balanced Politics, November 19, 2011. Web. November 27, 2011.