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Preserving the Sanctity of Marriage

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Preserving the Sanctity of Marriage
Preserving the Sanctity of Marriage “They are preserving the sanctity of marriage, so that two gay men who've been together for twenty-five years can't get married, but a guy can still get drunk in Vegas and marry a hooker at the Elvis chapel! The sanctity of marriage is saved!” Lea DeLaria states her views on gay marriage. Some although, view this topic very differently, it is seen as a dirty abomination to many that heterosexual marriage is being corrupted by the possibility of homosexual marriage. The year is 2010, yet America has seemed to take a step back in giving everyone and anyone equal rights in today’s society, leading back when America thought it was not a good idea to give African Americans their rights. Is that situation so different from today’s argument of giving homosexuals their rights? Although heterosexual marriages are more acceptable in America today, homosexual relationships as well as marriages need to be respected, not restrained so homosexuals can live freely as they please. People who are against gay marriage often are very religious in the Christian sense. They can relate gay marriage back to the bible with quotes like “Marriage shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women” (Genesis 29:17-28; II Samuel 3:2-5). These kinds of people are the ones who stay in tradition; the union between a man and women has been the only way of a legal connection in a society of any kind. This tradition proves to be strong; in June of 1986 the U.S Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that adult gay members practicing a gay lifestyle were not protected by the constitution. This was the first ruling in the U.S that outright said that gay marriage would not be tolerated. Since 1986 not much has changed, a gay lifestyle is not widely accepted, as well as marriages between them. Being part of the gay community is not an easy task, especially when marriage is involved. Just because someone is gay does not mean that this person should have different rights than a straight person. Both are human beings, both deserve the same rights. One does not choose to be a homosexual or heterosexual, it is how one is wired as one grows up, neither is wrong and therefore, why does one get to marry and not the other? This is a question still being answered today where through the ages homosexuality was considered a disease up until 1973, where it was finally taken off the DSM-II (official list of psychiatric disorders). Gays were also blamed for AIDS, the disease being called the “gay plague.” These things are absolutely horrendous; as this shows, some people are extremely ignorant about the gay culture. When people do not know what these people are like, they make assumptions and stereotypes that lead to the culture to not have the same rights as others because of the nasty things that are spread like wildfire throughout the world. In Africa, gays can legally be killed for just being themselves. It is exactly like the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. People accuse others in Africa of being gay and they can be imprisoned for life or killed simply for being accused. This is not what should be going on in a 21st century world. The same thing goes for being gay and trying to get married, they are denied time after time in the U.S. America is known for its free land and democratic values, yet America cannot handle the simple task of giving one group the full rights that everyone else has. I strongly believe that denying one’s rights because of their sexual orientation is beyond wrong, it is an abomination to what America stands for. It makes me angry to think that someone who loves another that just happens to be the same gender as they cannot legally marry.
They deserve to be happy just like anyone else. Why would someone deny happiness to someone because they love the same gender as they? Is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness not part of America’s Declaration of Independence? I believe the U.S has lost sight of this in today’s religiously ridden society. The separation of church and state has been lost and blended together, creating a storm of hatred and racism toward the gay community. These people are some of the kindest I have ever met, and yet they get some of the cruelest comments I have ever witnessed in my life. These people deserve more, including an equal right in everything, especially marriage. It is time for America to move forward for the goal of equal gay rights. These people have seen enough turmoil throughout time, longer than any community to date. It is time for acceptance, love, and peace toward the gay community. I have too many friends who have so much love for everyone else and they are turned away by society, dumped in an area called disgusting, repulsive, and unacceptable. Even though in America homosexual marriages are beginning to be accepted, their relationships as well as marriages should be given the same right as everyone else anywhere in the world, to truly save the sanctity of marriage.

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