Gay Marriage and the Constitution Essay Example
Gay Marriage and the Constitution
Amberlee Ozment
Axia College of University of Phoenix
Gay Marriage and the Constitution Is it okay to not believe in gay marriage, yet at the same time support the constitutional rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness for homosexual couples? Even though most churches' beliefs conflict with marrying same-sex partners, government should not deny a person's right to their happiness; because any person, no matter race, color, sex, religion or sexual orientation, should be allowed to exercise their constitutional rights as Americans to pursue their happiness; and married gay couples should be able to have a spectrum of rights and benefits if their gay partnership is legalized.
Equal Rights?
The constitution states that all men are equally free and independent. Then how is a gay couple that cannot be legally married mirrored to a heterosexual couple with a legal marriage? They cannot. Author Michael Seidman explains equality well when he states, “Equality means treating people similarly to the extent that they are the same, but differently to the extent that they are different.” (Winter 2008) Since there is no specific line between same and different, it makes distinguishing who does and does not get equal treatment difficult and fragile. Being gay is dissimilar for a great deal of people. Yet, yearning for a partner in life and sharing a love and bond with someone is not so far removed from any given person. The goal for most people in their lifetime is to obtain what they desire. In this instance, the discrepancy between heterosexual and homosexual suddenly becomes not so estranged. It is not so uncommon to want to find someone and extend a life of love, children and togetherness. When the courts realize that gay marriage is a matter of equal protection, rather than choosing a side in the cultural war (Seidman), they will discover the true meaning of freedom. Gay people in America will no
Amberlee Ozment
Axia College of University of Phoenix
Gay Marriage and the Constitution Is it okay to not believe in gay marriage, yet at the same time support the constitutional rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness for homosexual couples? Even though most churches' beliefs conflict with marrying same-sex partners, government should not deny a person's right to their happiness; because any person, no matter race, color, sex, religion or sexual orientation, should be allowed to exercise their constitutional rights as Americans to pursue their happiness; and married gay couples should be able to have a spectrum of rights and benefits if their gay partnership is legalized.
Equal Rights?
The constitution states that all men are equally free and independent. Then how is a gay couple that cannot be legally married mirrored to a heterosexual couple with a legal marriage? They cannot. Author Michael Seidman explains equality well when he states, “Equality means treating people similarly to the extent that they are the same, but differently to the extent that they are different.” (Winter 2008) Since there is no specific line between same and different, it makes distinguishing who does and does not get equal treatment difficult and fragile. Being gay is dissimilar for a great deal of people. Yet, yearning for a partner in life and sharing a love and bond with someone is not so far removed from any given person. The goal for most people in their lifetime is to obtain what they desire. In this instance, the discrepancy between heterosexual and homosexual suddenly becomes not so estranged. It is not so uncommon to want to find someone and extend a life of love, children and togetherness. When the courts realize that gay marriage is a matter of equal protection, rather than choosing a side in the cultural war (Seidman), they will discover the true meaning of freedom. Gay people in America will no