Week 5 Final Paper

To Marry or Not to Marry
Tawnya Patterson
PHI103 (ACM1231A) Robert Gala September 3, 2012

Choices and decisions impact ones everyday life. Is a homosexuality marriage correct? Many will argue no, because it is biblically wrong. In my case I find it to be the choice of the person. Their marriage will not impact our lives in any way. Love comes in different forms such as lust, religion based, and sometimes unconditional love. It should not matter if it marriage is with a partner of the same sex or the opposite sex. If one finds love in the same sex what makes it so wrong to pursue. I believe that it is the right of a person if they want to marry a partner of the same sex. It is time that society becomes more accepting of homosexuals and their right to love just the same as you and I. If someone were to ask me if I thought Homosexuals should be allowed to marry, I would say definitely. Allowing same sex marriage will give gay couples access to rights such as inheritance, health coverage, and adoption. Same sex couples should be allowed to have access to marriage benefits just like any other couple. It is not fair for society to shun gays. I feel that we should all be accepting to their lifestyles. Homosexuality is not any different than a normal couple. Love has no boundaries and is controlled by what ones feels inside their hearts. According to CPA “Allowing same sex-couples to marry would give them access to social support that already facilitates and strengthens heterosexual marriages, with all of the psychological and physical health benefits associated with that support.”(Choudhury,2011) Same sex couples do not have access to their mate’s health insurance unless they are married. Even if they have lived together for decades they still cannot receive any of the assets their mate has. One thing that baffles me is the fact that societies is accepting of two girls being together, but are totally disgusted in the fact that two guys are in a domesticated relationship. The concept of same sex marriage is not hard to understand, but the implication of the act is hitting America hard right now. Americans struggle to understand and make the right decisions about whether same sex marriage should be legal. Many are against it because it is wrong in the religious aspect. Marriage has been a deep root in religion and the vows are sacred. The people that control religion have traditionally controlled the sanction of marriage. Religion damns homosexuality and they refuse to sanction a union that they do not agree with. Recognizing same sex marriage allows homosexuals to have open loving relationships that are the same as a traditional married couple. Same sex marriage does not impact our everyday lives. Allowing homosexuals to have a committed long term relationship strengthens our society and will not destroy traditional marriage. According to the New Tribune “ We are coming to a crossroad where we are faced with the prospect of opening up the possibility of recognizing another bond. Another family structure, which has been with us for as long as there has been families.” (Landry, 2012) Many argue against allowing gays to marry because they feel we need to protect the institution of marriage. Even though many people get married out of love it is not the only reason. If gay marriage impacts our everyday lives then why don’t people who marry for money impact our everyday lives. I personally believe that divorce causes a lot more damage to families than gay marriage. If we want to protect the values of marriage, than we should outlaw divorce. In the United States, civil marriage is governed by the state law. Each state has the right to set the conditions for valid marriages. It is subjects to limits that are set by the states constitution as well as the U.S. Constitution. Marriage was traditionally considered valid if the requirements of the marriage law of the state were fulfilled. Gay marriage has been legalized in eight US states. The states are Maryland, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and Washington. Thirty one of the fifty states still have constitutional amendments banning gay marriage. According to Pizer “California has the nation’s largest and most racially diverse gay and lesbian population, and has played a prominent role in the modern gay marriage debate.” (Pizer, 2010) Proponents still argue that same sex couples should have access to the same marriage benefits and public acknowledgment that is enjoyed by heterosexual couples. Prohibiting gay marriage is unconstitutional discrimination. This issue is highly personal to both sides and causes a lot of controversy. Religious people are intolerant and hateful to those who are gay, bisexual, as well as transgendered people. Even if gay marriage does not become legal gays are still going to exist. Gay marriage should be legal, it is not right to tell someone how to live their life. Everyone deserves to be happy. We claim to have equal rights but yet we shun those who are different. How is allowing two people of the same sex to marry going to affect the whole world? It is not going to affect anyone except the two people that are getting married. Just because our nation observes religion does not make it the law. The Bible talks about killing being wrong yet we have wars and kill people using the death penalty. Homosexuality is a sin and should not be allowed to become legal because we are one nation under God. Sin is anything that is not pleasing in Gods eyes. God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. God created a man and woman so they could produce more offspring. It takes a woman to produce a child not a man and that is why he made a man and a women. He did not create two men because they were not capable of producing a child. Its Gods law that we need to abide by, not the laws of man. Homosexuality is discussed several times in the Bible and has historically been interpreted as condemning the practice. People argue and that the Bible talks about homosexuality but does not state whether or not it is condemned. However passages in the Old Testament prohibit lying with mankind or womankind. Many people believe that the verses that claim to condemn homosexual practices are referring to abusive sex. The Bible talks about sodomy which is a synonym for homosexuality. Homosexuality is an illicit lust that is forbidden by God and his followers. Christian is against homosexuality because it states that it is wrong in the Bible. Altering the traditional definition of marriage as between a man and a woman will weaken a threatened institution and will lead to an increase in polygamy. Marriage was meant to be between a man and woman so therefore it should not become legal. If gay couples bring children into their marriage the children will get a lot of criticism from their peers. Not everyone believes in the Bible and God so therefore they should not be forced to follow their ways and beliefs. I however do believe in the Bible and God but also believe that everyone should have freedom of choice. If they choose to be in a homosexual relationship then that is not any of my business. When my sister first came to me and told me she was in love with a woman I was very critical. I kept reminding her of the Bible and God’s ways. She basically told me that it was what she wanted and nothing I said was going to change her mind. I love my sister and chose to stand beside her and respect her rights. The first amendment of the Constitution guarantees the right of free expression. This includes freedom of assembly and freedom of the press. It also includes freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Homosexual marriage is no different than heterosexual marriage. Many heterosexual marriages end in divorce. Society has become more accepting to same sex marriage. It has been proven that same sex couples are just as good of parents as heterosexuals. Parenting should never be based on a person’s sex. It should be based on love and nourishment. Look how many parents in a regular marriage are accused of abuse. I guess the point I am trying to get across is just because you are a homosexual that does not make you a bad person. There is no such thing as a typical family in society today. What makes a family differs between children. Some children have a mom and dad, while some just have a mom or dad. Others live with aunt, uncles, or foster parents. Some have to moms or two dads. Families come in lots of different shapes and sizes. I do not think there is a general stereotypical family anywhere. Every family has weird quirks and things about them that are not so great. Homosexuals are often stereotyped because of what they like. Parents that do drugs or abuse alcohol are the ones who impact society not people that just want to be happy. I think it is time that we as a society learn to be more acceptable to things around us that are different. We accept a mixed relationship so why is it so hard to accept homosexuals? I remember before Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, when men were not allowed to serve our country if they were gay. That is so wrong and was a great example of discrimination. It should not have ever mattered who they chose to love. Fighting for our country takes commitment and strength as well as a love for your country. If you wanted to serve for our county you had to keep your sexuality closeted if you were a homosexual. Gays and lesbians continue to fight for equal rights in our society. The don’t ask, don’t tell policy has become a painful reminder that those in the military had to hide their sexual preference. Gays and lesbians who were open about their sexuality faced punishment or expulsion from the Military. Even though homosexuals can now openly serve in our military there are still limits. They must continue to abide by strict standards of personal conduct and not show public affection. Homosexuals have become a big debate in society. There is always going to be an opposing force in every situation. This is an example of how our justice system does not respect every aspect of The Declaration of Independence. No matter what the legal system chooses there is always going to be homosexuality. They do not impact our society any more than divorce or substance abuse. We as a society need to stand up and move speak out so that justice can prevail in every aspect of our lives, as well as the lives of others. We as Americans should have the right to choose who we want to spend the rest of our lives with. Don’t become consumed by what society views as normal, we Americans are too judgmental. I have learned to accept the inner beauty of a person not their sexuality. It is time that society becomes more accepting of homosexuals and their right to love just the same as you and I.

References
Commentary: Marriage is a basic right to both heterosexuals and homosexuals (2003). . Washington, D.C., United States, Washington, D.C.: Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/189797853?accountid=32521
Legalizing same sex marriage (2010) Jennifer C. Pizer retrieved from www.lambdalegal.org.
Marriage not all traditions are worth keeping Gabriel Landry retrieved from thenewstribune.com/letters/2012/06/22/centries-of-change/#storylink=cpy
Support of the Parties Challenging Marriage and Exclusion 2007, California Psychological Association retrieved from www. courtinfo.ca.gov.
Williams, R. (2011). Same-sex marriage and equality. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 14(5), 589-595. doi: 10.1007/s10677-010-9261-8

References: Commentary: Marriage is a basic right to both heterosexuals and homosexuals (2003). . Washington, D.C., United States, Washington, D.C.: Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/189797853?accountid=32521 Legalizing same sex marriage (2010) Jennifer C. Pizer retrieved from www.lambdalegal.org. Marriage not all traditions are worth keeping Gabriel Landry retrieved from thenewstribune.com/letters/2012/06/22/centries-of-change/#storylink=cpy Support of the Parties Challenging Marriage and Exclusion 2007, California Psychological Association retrieved from www. courtinfo.ca.gov. Williams, R. (2011). Same-sex marriage and equality. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 14(5), 589-595. doi: 10.1007/s10677-010-9261-8