PERIOD: 2
DR.VAN SLOOTEN
05/05/12
WHY GAY MARRIAGE SHOULD BE LEGALIZED. Try to imagine life in a society that refuses individuals to marry who they love. Imagine people being around their partners, but not having the legal rights to call them their wives or husbands. The fact of the matter is one does not have to try to imagine this because this is the state of current society. People can argue about whether church and state should be separated, the banning of polygamy, and not legalizing gay marriage, but the major importance is the institution of love (Sullivan). Gay marriage should not be opposed, but embraced by society with joy. Gay marriage should be legalized in the United States because denying this right is unfair and unconstitutional; marriage is not about money or judgment of society, but about a couple’s love for each other, and it will help reduce or solve social problems. First of all, gay marriage should be legalized because it is unfair and unconstitutional to deny citizens this human right. President Obama said, “Every single American-gay, straight, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender-deserve to be treated equally in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of our society. It is pretty simple proposition” (Qtd. in Skiba 1). Gays and lesbians should have the right to do everything heterosexuals do without being judged. They should have the right to love, marry, and to choose whom they want as life partners. According to Andrew Sullivan, author of “Why Gay Marriage is Good for Straight America”, “Even political rights, like the right to vote, and nearly all other rights enumerated in the constitution, are secondary to the inalienable human right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence; and to this category the right to home and marriage unquestionably belongs” (2). All men are created equally. Each and every individual has the right to life,
Cited: Alvear, Mike. “Gay Marriage Strengthens The Institution of Marriage.” Introducing Issues with Opposing Viewpoints: Gay Marriage. Ed. Lauri S. Friedman. Los Angeles: Greenhaven Press, 2009. 56-62. Print. Coontz, Stephanie. “Gay Marriage Isn’t Revolutionary. It’s Just Next.” Washington Post 9 Jan. 2011: B.5. SIRS Researcher. Web. 23 Sept.2011. Skiba, Katherine. “Obama Celebrates with Gay Rights Group.” Chicago Tribune. 2 Oct. 2011. Web. 10 Sept. 2011. Sullivan, Andrew. “Why Gay Marriage is good for Straight America.” Newsweek 25 July 2011: 1-3. SIRS Researcher. Web 14 Oct. 2011.