Gay Marriage (Supporting Essay)
Thesis Statement: I believe that homosexuals should be granted the right to marry and receive the same benefits, rights, and protections as heterosexual married couples.
?I love you. Let?s get married!? These words have been spoken many times, by many people. Most often a man to a woman, sometimes a woman to a man, and most recently, and man to man and woman to woman. However, in those last two cases, getting married isn?t just a cheap flight to Vegas for the weekend. It?s been a struggle for over 40 years, since the gay rights revolution.
There are a numerous amount of reasons as to why people oppose gay marriage, but basically it comes down to an absolute infringement on the civil liberties of homosexuals. The most basic argument for the opposition to gay marriage is the simple statement ?Marriage is an institution between one man and one woman.? I would like to know who is to decide what marriage is and isn?t. The married? Politicians? The Bible? Isn?t freedom of religion also freedom from religion? Somehow the ?Bible? assertion always seems to arise into modern political debates. I want to know whatever happened to separation from religion and state. I want to know when white male Christians are going to realize that there are many other religions, races, and sexual orientations out there other than their own. In fact, Scott Bidstrup cleverly states, ?many sects of Buddhist celebrate gay relationships freely and would like to have the authority to make them legal marriages. In that sense, their religious freedom is being infringed.? Although, the Bible argument should immediately be dicounted, even if we were to survey the text, who is to interpret the statements. ?People in the late 1800s and early 1900s justified the exploitation of slaves claiming that the Bible clearly showed Gods support for it. Now people are saying that they can clearly see Gods condemnation of gays.? (Silver 64) For a moment, branching off from the marriage topic, I?d like to just
?I love you. Let?s get married!? These words have been spoken many times, by many people. Most often a man to a woman, sometimes a woman to a man, and most recently, and man to man and woman to woman. However, in those last two cases, getting married isn?t just a cheap flight to Vegas for the weekend. It?s been a struggle for over 40 years, since the gay rights revolution.
There are a numerous amount of reasons as to why people oppose gay marriage, but basically it comes down to an absolute infringement on the civil liberties of homosexuals. The most basic argument for the opposition to gay marriage is the simple statement ?Marriage is an institution between one man and one woman.? I would like to know who is to decide what marriage is and isn?t. The married? Politicians? The Bible? Isn?t freedom of religion also freedom from religion? Somehow the ?Bible? assertion always seems to arise into modern political debates. I want to know whatever happened to separation from religion and state. I want to know when white male Christians are going to realize that there are many other religions, races, and sexual orientations out there other than their own. In fact, Scott Bidstrup cleverly states, ?many sects of Buddhist celebrate gay relationships freely and would like to have the authority to make them legal marriages. In that sense, their religious freedom is being infringed.? Although, the Bible argument should immediately be dicounted, even if we were to survey the text, who is to interpret the statements. ?People in the late 1800s and early 1900s justified the exploitation of slaves claiming that the Bible clearly showed Gods support for it. Now people are saying that they can clearly see Gods condemnation of gays.? (Silver 64) For a moment, branching off from the marriage topic, I?d like to just