Persuasive Essay On Why Gay Marriage Should Be Legalized
Gay Marriages should be Legalized
The government says that every citizen of the United States shall receive equal rights. Then, why did they pass the Defense of Marriage Act? The Defense of Marriage Act prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages; in my opinion this act is unjust and immoral because it restricts the rights of gay and lesbian citizens. Many of the reasons offered for opposing gay marriage are based on the assumption that gays have a choice in who they can feel attracted to, and the reality is very different. Many people actually believe that gays could simply choose to be heterosexual if they wished. Others believe that the act of homosexuality is selfish because homosexuals …show more content…
want relationships with people that they supposedly cannot have. In reality, it has nothing to do with choice. It has to do with true feelings and emotion towards someone else. It has to do with love. Same-sex marriage is an important issue with gay couples and activists in today's society.
Religious, government, and social groups have debated this issue and it is taking a long time for it to be resolved. Same-sex marriage has some distinct facts and values important to one's religion, morals, or even what his or her family thinks of the gay lifestyle. One strong argument states that Marriage is an institution between one man and one woman. This is the most popular argument, It was made clear in a recently passed U.S. federal law. The Defense of Marriage Act, which I mentioned earlier. Who says what marriage is to be defined by? The people who are married? The people who are allowed to be married?? I think that if the straight community cannot give or prove a good reason to deny the institution of marriage to gay people, then it shouldn't be denied period. Denying marriage to gay people is an act or expression of prejudice. One of the most contradictory arguments would be that Same-sex marriage would threaten the institution of marriage. Let me explain why this is contradictory . Threaten marriage? How can you threaten marriage by allowing people to marry? That is not logical to me. If you allow gay people to marry each other, you no longer force them to
marry people to whom they feel little attraction for, with whom they most often cannot relate sexually. You then end up reducing the number of supposed heterosexual marriages that end up in the divorce courts. No one would require you or anyone else to participate in a gay marriage right ? You have freedom of choice, of choosing what kind of marriage to participate in. So why not give a gay person that choice too. I think we would be better off if we tightened the divorce laws rather then totally prohibit a marriage. Instead of stopping people from making bonds, why don't we stop people from breaking bonds. That makes more sense to me. Another argument states that Marriage is for procreation. This argument is ridiculous because people forget that while straight couples can procreate, not all of them choose to do so. Therefore to say that gay couples are wrong because they cannot bring life into this world makes no sense. Also there are some straight couples who aren't able to procreate. Does this mean that they must give up their wedding rings now? I think that this argument makes no sense because it totally ignores the fact that straight people have procreation problems too. On a similar note, some people argue that marriages are for ensuring the continuation of the species. I do not think that the human species is in any real danger of dying out through lack of procreation. If ten percent of all the human race were to suddenly refrain from procreation, I think it is safe to say that the world would probably be better off. One of the world's most serious problems is overpopulation . Gays would be doing the world a favor by not bringing more lives into an already overburdened world. (Scott Bidstrup) Another argument says that same-sex couples aren't the optimum environment in which to raise children. This is very interesting to me. Who does society allow to get married and bring children into their marriage. If you think about it, murderers, convicted felons of all sorts, even child molesters are all allowed to marry freely and procreate, and do so every day, with hardly a second thought by these same critics. ( Bidstrup) If children are the priority here, why is this allowed? Many gay couples raise children, adopt children and occasionally have their own from failed attempts at heterosexual marriages. Scientific studies have shown that the outcomes of the children raised in the homes of gay and lesbian couples are just as good as those of straight couples. The differences are insignificant. Psychologists tell us that what makes the difference is the love of the parents, not their gender. The studies are clear about that. Gay people are as capable of loving children as fully as anyone else. Some say that Granting gays the right to marry is a "special" right. Ninety percent of the population already have the right to marry the consenting adult of their choice, since when does the remaining ten percent become a "special" right? The problem with all this special rights talk is that it comes from the very assumption, that because of all the civil rights laws in this country that everyone is already equal, so therefore any rights gay people are being granted must therefore be special. That is not the case, especially regarding marriage and all the legal protections that go along with it. Gay people do not want any "special" rights, they want equal rights. People argue that gay marriage would undermine sodomy laws. The definition of sodomy being copulation with a member of the same sex. Many conservative religionists oppose gay marriage in part because it would undermine the legal basis for sodomy laws. It would be hard to justify allowing a couple to marry and then legally stop them from having sexual relations.This would especially be hard to justify in a court. So the integrity of the sodomy laws, which many, say are silly and puritanical to begin with, become a reason to oppose gay marriage! Most people really would actually like to see an end to sodomy laws, which they view as an example of a harsh, religiously motivated law. Gay marriage would help do that. Another reason why people oppose same-sex marriage is that they fear that gay people might recruit straight people to the gay lifestyle.This is completely untrue. Gay people know from experience that they can't change someone's sexuality because sexual orientation is something you are born with. It is not learned. Even psychologists, counselors, religious therapy , and support groups have tried to change sexual orientation and none of it workek. So the notion that someone can be changed from straight to gay is quite unlikely. Studies show that the people who understand this concept the best were young, educated females. We don't recruit because we know from our own experience that sexual orientation is inborn, and can't be changed. Indeed, the attempts by psychologists, counselors, and religious therapy and support groups to change sexual orientation have all uniformly met with failure- the studies that have been done of these therapies have never shown any significant results. (Bidstrup) The opposition to gay marriage stems ultimately from a hidden homophobia in American culture. While many Americans do not realize that that homophobia exists to the extent that it does, it is a very real part of every gay person's life. It is there and it has much more serious consequences for American society than most Americans realize, not only for gay people alone, but for society in general and as a whole. We should just get on with it. Let's get over what we oppose for stupid, irrational reasons, based on ignorance and assumptions, and make our society more just and honorable. Same-sex marriage should be legalized and recognized in every state.
bibliography-Bidstrup, Scott. Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives. 13 October 2000 http://www.Bidstrup.com/marriage.htm.
Malone, John. "21st Century Gay" M. Evans and Company, Inc. 2001
"National Campaign for Same-Sex Marriage...Draws Political and Religious Opposition." CQ Researcher. (1996): 420-423.
The government says that every citizen of the United States shall receive equal rights. Then, why did they pass the Defense of Marriage Act? The Defense of Marriage Act prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages; in my opinion this act is unjust and immoral because it restricts the rights of gay and lesbian citizens. Many of the reasons offered for opposing gay marriage are based on the assumption that gays have a choice in who they can feel attracted to, and the reality is very different. Many people actually believe that gays could simply choose to be heterosexual if they wished. Others believe that the act of homosexuality is selfish because homosexuals …show more content…
want relationships with people that they supposedly cannot have. In reality, it has nothing to do with choice. It has to do with true feelings and emotion towards someone else. It has to do with love. Same-sex marriage is an important issue with gay couples and activists in today's society.
Religious, government, and social groups have debated this issue and it is taking a long time for it to be resolved. Same-sex marriage has some distinct facts and values important to one's religion, morals, or even what his or her family thinks of the gay lifestyle. One strong argument states that Marriage is an institution between one man and one woman. This is the most popular argument, It was made clear in a recently passed U.S. federal law. The Defense of Marriage Act, which I mentioned earlier. Who says what marriage is to be defined by? The people who are married? The people who are allowed to be married?? I think that if the straight community cannot give or prove a good reason to deny the institution of marriage to gay people, then it shouldn't be denied period. Denying marriage to gay people is an act or expression of prejudice. One of the most contradictory arguments would be that Same-sex marriage would threaten the institution of marriage. Let me explain why this is contradictory . Threaten marriage? How can you threaten marriage by allowing people to marry? That is not logical to me. If you allow gay people to marry each other, you no longer force them to
marry people to whom they feel little attraction for, with whom they most often cannot relate sexually. You then end up reducing the number of supposed heterosexual marriages that end up in the divorce courts. No one would require you or anyone else to participate in a gay marriage right ? You have freedom of choice, of choosing what kind of marriage to participate in. So why not give a gay person that choice too. I think we would be better off if we tightened the divorce laws rather then totally prohibit a marriage. Instead of stopping people from making bonds, why don't we stop people from breaking bonds. That makes more sense to me. Another argument states that Marriage is for procreation. This argument is ridiculous because people forget that while straight couples can procreate, not all of them choose to do so. Therefore to say that gay couples are wrong because they cannot bring life into this world makes no sense. Also there are some straight couples who aren't able to procreate. Does this mean that they must give up their wedding rings now? I think that this argument makes no sense because it totally ignores the fact that straight people have procreation problems too. On a similar note, some people argue that marriages are for ensuring the continuation of the species. I do not think that the human species is in any real danger of dying out through lack of procreation. If ten percent of all the human race were to suddenly refrain from procreation, I think it is safe to say that the world would probably be better off. One of the world's most serious problems is overpopulation . Gays would be doing the world a favor by not bringing more lives into an already overburdened world. (Scott Bidstrup) Another argument says that same-sex couples aren't the optimum environment in which to raise children. This is very interesting to me. Who does society allow to get married and bring children into their marriage. If you think about it, murderers, convicted felons of all sorts, even child molesters are all allowed to marry freely and procreate, and do so every day, with hardly a second thought by these same critics. ( Bidstrup) If children are the priority here, why is this allowed? Many gay couples raise children, adopt children and occasionally have their own from failed attempts at heterosexual marriages. Scientific studies have shown that the outcomes of the children raised in the homes of gay and lesbian couples are just as good as those of straight couples. The differences are insignificant. Psychologists tell us that what makes the difference is the love of the parents, not their gender. The studies are clear about that. Gay people are as capable of loving children as fully as anyone else. Some say that Granting gays the right to marry is a "special" right. Ninety percent of the population already have the right to marry the consenting adult of their choice, since when does the remaining ten percent become a "special" right? The problem with all this special rights talk is that it comes from the very assumption, that because of all the civil rights laws in this country that everyone is already equal, so therefore any rights gay people are being granted must therefore be special. That is not the case, especially regarding marriage and all the legal protections that go along with it. Gay people do not want any "special" rights, they want equal rights. People argue that gay marriage would undermine sodomy laws. The definition of sodomy being copulation with a member of the same sex. Many conservative religionists oppose gay marriage in part because it would undermine the legal basis for sodomy laws. It would be hard to justify allowing a couple to marry and then legally stop them from having sexual relations.This would especially be hard to justify in a court. So the integrity of the sodomy laws, which many, say are silly and puritanical to begin with, become a reason to oppose gay marriage! Most people really would actually like to see an end to sodomy laws, which they view as an example of a harsh, religiously motivated law. Gay marriage would help do that. Another reason why people oppose same-sex marriage is that they fear that gay people might recruit straight people to the gay lifestyle.This is completely untrue. Gay people know from experience that they can't change someone's sexuality because sexual orientation is something you are born with. It is not learned. Even psychologists, counselors, religious therapy , and support groups have tried to change sexual orientation and none of it workek. So the notion that someone can be changed from straight to gay is quite unlikely. Studies show that the people who understand this concept the best were young, educated females. We don't recruit because we know from our own experience that sexual orientation is inborn, and can't be changed. Indeed, the attempts by psychologists, counselors, and religious therapy and support groups to change sexual orientation have all uniformly met with failure- the studies that have been done of these therapies have never shown any significant results. (Bidstrup) The opposition to gay marriage stems ultimately from a hidden homophobia in American culture. While many Americans do not realize that that homophobia exists to the extent that it does, it is a very real part of every gay person's life. It is there and it has much more serious consequences for American society than most Americans realize, not only for gay people alone, but for society in general and as a whole. We should just get on with it. Let's get over what we oppose for stupid, irrational reasons, based on ignorance and assumptions, and make our society more just and honorable. Same-sex marriage should be legalized and recognized in every state.
bibliography-Bidstrup, Scott. Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives. 13 October 2000 http://www.Bidstrup.com/marriage.htm.
Malone, John. "21st Century Gay" M. Evans and Company, Inc. 2001
"National Campaign for Same-Sex Marriage...Draws Political and Religious Opposition." CQ Researcher. (1996): 420-423.