Gay Rights

Natalie Heidenfelder
March 19, 2013
Professor Monroe
Gay Rights “I'm a supporter of gay rights. And not a closet supporter either. From the time I was a kid, I have never been able to understand attacks upon the gay community. There are so many qualities that make up a human being... by the time I get through with all the things that I really admire about people, what they do with their private parts is probably so low on the list that it is irrelevant.”- Paul Newman, an actor who gave his thoughts on the gay rights movement. The Gay rights movement has made great strides towards a better and brighter future. Today, there are nine states that give gays the option to get married. This was a huge step forward and it will not be slowing down anytime soon. I want to talk about the gay rights movement and how people feel and think about it. I want to bring to light the issues and talk about what is being done about them. The gay rights act dates back to the early 1920s, with the Society of Human Rights in Chicago being the first gay organization. (Essman, Elliot 2010) It was not until the 1960s that the movement started to become huge. Back then, being gay was looked upon as being a sin. When someone admitted to being gay, they would be beaten, fired, kicked out of public places, disowned from their family, and many more. In the United States, the gay rights movement goes back to the Stonewall riots that occurred following a police raid in New York City. Police bombarded the gay bars and the gays finally fought back. This event lasted for three days and marked the beginning of the gay rights movement. After the Stonewall riots, there were a few gay organizations that formed. From 1969 and 1974, the amount of gay organizations have increased up to nearly fifty thousand. By 1973, there were about eight hundred organizations that formed. Most of them would get together in big cities and on university campuses. Even though the amount of organizations surrounding gay rights increased, there were many people who were still afraid to come out because of what it was defined as. The American Psychiatric Association defined homosexuality as a disease. In 1973, they took homosexuality away from the mental disorder list and more gays started being open with who they were. They spoke publicly about their sexuality and did not make any attempts to hide how they felt. Along with this new openness that allowed gays to open up to the public, came a new idea that would formulate many heated debates in years to come; marriage. While a few gay activists saw the right to marry in the early 1970s, others rejected marriage as “hetero-sexist” and saw it as an outdated institution. The current national debate on same-sex marriage was sparked by the Supreme Court of Hawaii’s three to one ruling on May 5, 1993 that the state could not ignore same-sex marriages without "a compelling reason” to do so. The case was sent back to the lower court but voters approved a constitutional amendment to get rid of same-sex marriage before the courts established the issue. However, the gay marriage was never performed in Hawaii, the issue brought more national attention and promoted over forty states over the next decade. On September 21, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the federal Defense of Marriage Act into a law that which defined marriage at the federal level between man and woman. This ensured that no state would be forced to observe gay marriages performed in other states. Also, this prevented same-sex couples from getting federal protections and benefits provided to married heterosexual couples. When it comes to same-sex marriages, there are a lot of pros, followed by a few cons. The reason why people fight for same-sex marriage is because it is no one’s business if two men or two women want to be together. If there are two people that love each other and are happy together, they should be able to get married. Also, they should be allowed the same benefits as the marriage of the opposite sex. To deny the right for same-sex couples to get married sends the message that it is acceptable for discrimination. Gay marriages can bring financial rise to state and local governments. The revenue that comes from gay marriage are marriage licenses, higher tax incomes, and decreases in costs for state benefit programs. The Comptroller from New York found that legalizing gay marriage would being one hundred and forty-two million dollars to the city’s economy and one hundred and eight-four dollars to the state’s economy in over three years. Gay marriage will make it easier for same-sex couples to adopt children. In the United States, one hundred thousand children waiting to be adopted. On June 7, 2010, a longitude study found that children of lesbian mothers were rated higher than children of heterosexual parents in social and academic competence. Also, the children had a decrease in social problems. If we allow same-sex marriage, we will give them the access to hospital visitation rights, taxation rights, and inheritance rights, to receive family health care coverage, and protection of the relationship ending. Massachusetts was the first state to legalize gay marriage, they have the lowest divorce rate in the country since 2008. The divorce rate decreased twenty-one percent between 2003 and 2008. (Procon.org, 2013) There are a lot of benefits when it comes to legalizing same-sex marriages. Now, I will show the downside in same-sex marriages. Traditionally, the institution of marriage has been defined between a man and a women. Gay marriage is incompatible with the beliefs, sacred texts, and traditions of many religious groups. Giving the right for gays to get married may lead to churches being forced to marry same- sex couples. They are also worried that children being taught in school about same-sex marriage could give them the idea that opposite-sex marriage are the same concept. Speaking of children, gay marriage will lead to more of them being raised in same-sex households, which for some people, do not believe that it is a great environment for raising children. Girls that are raised without a father are reported at a greater risk for early sexual activity. Also, children that are without a mother are lacking the emotional security that mothers provide. An April 2001 study published in American Sociological Review submitted that children with gay parents have a higher chance of becoming homosexual, or being involved with homosexual behavior. Paula Ettelbrick, JD, Professor of Law and Women’s Studies, wrote in 1989, “Marriage runs contrary to two of the primary goals of the lesbian and gay movement: the affirmation of gay identity and culture and the validation of many forms of relationships.”