Same Sex Marriages Equality

Same Sex Marriages Equality
Draft
Shelita DeCuir
Sociology 120
Milagrod Baez
November 14, 2014

Same Sex Marriage Equality

The issue of gay marriage has been a hotly contended debate in the last few years and has had a significant impact on this past election. The right-wing Christian conservatives insist that homosexuality is morally wrong while gay advocates argue that they deserve the same civil rights that heterosexual couples enjoy. I will discuss the issue of gay marriage from a conservative as well as liberal viewpoint but first we must look at the history of homosexuality in order to be able to understand the controversy behind this debate.
The practice of homosexuality is not one that has recently developed, but rather, it has been around since the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome. Although the term homosexuality did not exist until 1869, the practice of it in ancient cultures was considered be to a normal part of life. Many famous Greek philosophers of the time had male partners as well as their wives. Such men were Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. It was common practice for a male to take on a young boy as his lover until he reached maturity where he would, in turn, take on another young boy as his lover. In Roman society, the emperor himself married his male lover. Likewise, some Native-Americans in North America chose the "Berdache" lifestyle where men dressed as women and dated other men and women dressed as men and dated other women. This practice was less stigmatized because these couples had the appearance of heterosexuality. In many cultures in New Guinea and Africa, it was common practice for men to inseminate young boys at puberty so they could become men in their sexuality. (Mondimore, 1996)
While the gay liberation movement has lost some hard battles they have also had their share of victories. With Vermont allowing civil unions in 1999 and the temporary issuance of marriage licenses in cities in California, New Mexico, and New York in 2004, the move toward gay marriage seems to be picking up. The first major victory was the decision in Massachusetts in February of 2004 to legalize same-sex marriage. Massachusetts is the first state in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage, giving hope to gay rights advocates all over the U.S. In a March 14th court decision in California, a San Francisco County Superior Court Judge ruled that ""while withholding marriage licenses from gays and lesbians has been the status quo, it constitutes discrimination the state can no longer justify." (The Muskegon Chronicle, 3/15/05) This is another important decision in the fight for gay marriage equality.
Advocates of same-sex marriage say that denying them the right to marry is to deny them their basic civil rights. By denying them legal status, they are denied access to state as well as federal benefits such as healthcare, hospital visitation rights, social security benefits, and joint taxes. Gay and lesbian couples do not just want the benefits of marriage; they also want the recognition of their love that only a marriage can give. Opponents state that homosexual relationships are inherently unstable due to promiscuity so allowing them to marry would not only increase the divorce rate, but also, ruin the long tradition and honor of the institution of marriage. Advocates counter that argument by stating that allowing them to marry would strengthen their relationships and provide them with legal and economic security. (Issues, 2004)
In my opinion, the question to be debated is not whether or not homosexual couples should be able to marry but when. This country is founded upon equality of human beings and should not discriminate on the basis of who you have in your bed at night. Homosexuality is not a choice, it is a natural part of these people and to be able to pursue happiness, as the Declaration of Independence states is a right, you cannot deny who you are. You cannot and should not have to hide who you are in America. It is supposed to be the land of the free, well at least for anyone who sleeps with the opposite sex. The idea that homosexuals are bad parents is ridiculous. From birth I was raised by a homosexual man. While he was living the heterosexual lifestyle until I was 12, he was still, inherently, a homosexual. At age 16 I moved in with him and have been living with him ever since. I am not messed up in any way, I attend school, to go work, and hang out with friends just as any child raised by heterosexuals does. The idea that homosexual couples only raise homosexual children is stupid too, I'm straight, and I know for a fact that heterosexual couples don't only raise heterosexual children! I understand the reasons why some people don't want gays to marry but it is no justification for denying them the same civil rights that heterosexuals enjoy. In America, all men are supposed to be created equal. When that happens, when gays are allowed to marry, when blacks are no longer discriminated against, and when women make the same amount of money that men do, then America will truly be the land of the free. Based on the fact that every oppressed group has eventually achieved their civil rights, I believe that eventually homosexual couples will be allowed to marry. Until then, it will be a furious debate between the conservative right and the gay rights advocates.