Gender Roles on Gay Marriage
Gender Roles Activism Plan: Discussion of the Issue
Homosexual Marriage in the U.S.
• Explain why this issue is important. o This issue is important because the governments as well as citizens have been battling around whether it should be prohibited or legalized. The definition of marital union has been controversial for many years in politics and in regards to the constitution. I believe that marriage is a human right to openly express themselves to someone they truly love and would like to have a full life with, and someone’s sexuality should not be a factor in the matter of if they can get married.
• What does previous research say about this issue? o Currently, the United States is embroiled in a debate over whether there should be an amendment to the Constitution that would define marriage as the legal union between a man and a woman. This debate is a direct result of the decision by some state courts that homosexuals cannot be denied the benefits and recognition of a legal marriage. o President Bush has publicly stated that he supports such an amendment. o In 1996, President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage to be a "legal union between one man and one woman." Many other political leaders, Republicans and Democrats alike, have aligned themselves with both Presidents Bush and Clinton. o Several religious institutions, most recently the Catholic Church, have formally renounced the idea of same-sex marriage, referring to religious texts that define marriage as solely the union of a man and woman. o Supporters of gay marriage stress, though, that not only are they seeking to protect civil liberties (often citing the 14th Amendment), they are also seeking to protect their families; over a million children nationwide are currently in the care of homosexual parents. o The way the laws are currently written, gay parents in times of crisis (such as when a child is seriously sick or injured and must be hospitalized) are
Homosexual Marriage in the U.S.
• Explain why this issue is important. o This issue is important because the governments as well as citizens have been battling around whether it should be prohibited or legalized. The definition of marital union has been controversial for many years in politics and in regards to the constitution. I believe that marriage is a human right to openly express themselves to someone they truly love and would like to have a full life with, and someone’s sexuality should not be a factor in the matter of if they can get married.
• What does previous research say about this issue? o Currently, the United States is embroiled in a debate over whether there should be an amendment to the Constitution that would define marriage as the legal union between a man and a woman. This debate is a direct result of the decision by some state courts that homosexuals cannot be denied the benefits and recognition of a legal marriage. o President Bush has publicly stated that he supports such an amendment. o In 1996, President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage to be a "legal union between one man and one woman." Many other political leaders, Republicans and Democrats alike, have aligned themselves with both Presidents Bush and Clinton. o Several religious institutions, most recently the Catholic Church, have formally renounced the idea of same-sex marriage, referring to religious texts that define marriage as solely the union of a man and woman. o Supporters of gay marriage stress, though, that not only are they seeking to protect civil liberties (often citing the 14th Amendment), they are also seeking to protect their families; over a million children nationwide are currently in the care of homosexual parents. o The way the laws are currently written, gay parents in times of crisis (such as when a child is seriously sick or injured and must be hospitalized) are