Same Sex Marriage: Legal or Illegal

Same-sex Marriage: Should It Be Legal Or Illegal? In 2004 eleven states in the United States approved same-sex marriage as a constitutional heterosexual institution (CNN.com) Recently the issue of same sex marriage has been on the minds of Americans along with the puzzling question of whether or not it should be legal. The fight for same-sex marriage is still going strong, yet many people frown upon the idea of people of the same-sex marrying. They say it is unconstitutional, against the religion, and violates the laws of a regular marriage between a man and women. In Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” he speaks about his right and being treated unconstitutionally. Just like he expressed in his letter, gays and lesbians are trying to get across to the American public. Same-sex marriage should be legal in all fifty states. The reasoning for same sex marriage to be illegal is not a good enough reason for gays and lesbians. If Congress were to make an amendment like president Bush would like them to, they would be making “an attempt to write discrimination into the Constitution” (CNN.com) They are correct in saying it would be discrimination because gay and lesbians have the same rights as every other American living in this free country. “America is a free society, which limits the role of government in the lives of our citizens. This commitment of freedom, however, does not require the redefinition of one of our most basic social institutions.” (CNN.com) President Bush and Congress should respect the needs for everyone because the “people” are the ones who put them in their positions as our leaders of the country. The “people” include the gay and lesbian community. President Bush and Congress may have strong personal feelings on the subject but that should not affect their decision in making same sex marriage illegal. The most reoccurring argument against same sex marriage is that it is a violation of the churches. “They