Political Culture Wars: My Gay Marriage
Political Culture Wars: My Gay Marriage
Growing up as a gay Latino, I have always had conflicts with my own racial and religious culture. Marriage never seemed an option for me until I met and fell in love with my husband. As explained in American Politics Today, D.T. Canon and W.T. Bianco note, “Gay marriage has been controversial and many states have passed laws and constitutional amendments defining marriage as between a man and a woman (p. 12).” I never thought that, later in my life, whom I would want to marry would be the subject of a political culture war at a state and national level.
I believe the debate of gay marriage stems from one’s view of what a marriage is and how much religion plays into it for each individual. In Europe, many countries require a civil ceremony for a marriage to be legal. Later, if the couple wishes, a religious ceremony can be held. However, in the Middle East, only clergy can perform legal marriage ceremonies, Marriage (2014). Here in the United States, it is up to the individuals to have either a religious or a civil ceremony held, as long as the couple obtains a marriage license. I believe that the connection between marriage and religion in America stems from the Christian-based beliefs of the first settlers. However, even the separation of church and state in the First Amendment of the United States …show more content…
This law specified that a legal marriage be defined to be between a man and a woman. By declaring this law the Federal Government denied same-sex couple benefits that afforded married people such as family and medical leave, pooling economic resources without unfair taxation, military benefits, and Social Security survivor benefits. I had come to terms with my own sexual orientation and now the country I was born in was creating legal restrictions against me and my gay brothers and
Growing up as a gay Latino, I have always had conflicts with my own racial and religious culture. Marriage never seemed an option for me until I met and fell in love with my husband. As explained in American Politics Today, D.T. Canon and W.T. Bianco note, “Gay marriage has been controversial and many states have passed laws and constitutional amendments defining marriage as between a man and a woman (p. 12).” I never thought that, later in my life, whom I would want to marry would be the subject of a political culture war at a state and national level.
I believe the debate of gay marriage stems from one’s view of what a marriage is and how much religion plays into it for each individual. In Europe, many countries require a civil ceremony for a marriage to be legal. Later, if the couple wishes, a religious ceremony can be held. However, in the Middle East, only clergy can perform legal marriage ceremonies, Marriage (2014). Here in the United States, it is up to the individuals to have either a religious or a civil ceremony held, as long as the couple obtains a marriage license. I believe that the connection between marriage and religion in America stems from the Christian-based beliefs of the first settlers. However, even the separation of church and state in the First Amendment of the United States …show more content…
This law specified that a legal marriage be defined to be between a man and a woman. By declaring this law the Federal Government denied same-sex couple benefits that afforded married people such as family and medical leave, pooling economic resources without unfair taxation, military benefits, and Social Security survivor benefits. I had come to terms with my own sexual orientation and now the country I was born in was creating legal restrictions against me and my gay brothers and