I write alot of random essays. I wrote this one a while ago.
Definition of Marriage: (n) marriage, matrimony, union, spousal relationship, wedlock (the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)). (Princeton) In the definition of marriage, where does it say that marriage is only between a man and a woman? Marriage is about love; who is to say that only a man and a woman can fall in love? My paper will fight in favor of gay marriage being legalized throughout the United States. This will prove to you why banning gay marriage is unconstitutional and against human rights. People are born homosexual and it is not a choice. Those born different from what society thinks is normal now, should not be penalized by our government. We have changed the course of our history with interracial marriage before; it is time to change it again. This issue affects many Americans and should be changed immediately. It is not fair for the government to tell the public who they can and can not fall in love with.
Many people have fought this controversial issue for years. The gay community and its supporters feel the struggle is not over. Gay marriage has not been legalized in the entire United States yet. Homosexuals will not stop the fight until they have equal rights. Many gays and lesbians believe that you are born homosexual. It is not something you can fight, but rather just a way of being born differently. Since homosexuals started coming out and showing their real sexual orientations, they were abandoned from society because of it. Many were hurt physically and emotionally. It was hard for the first people to come out and say they were gay. The gay community has come a long way since then and are now fighting for human rights. As of right now, two people of the same gender can not get married. Homosexuals and supporters are fighting for this to change.
For over 200 years, interracial marriage was banned. Americans saw it as wrong but then changed their mind. In 1967 discrimination in marriage laws was demolished in the United States. It was against the public’s human rights to restrict who can get married. Why today is it okay to discriminate according to sexual orientation while discrimination based on race is frowned upon? Discrimination in marriage by race was banned, but not by sexual orientation. If at that time, it was viewed as wrong to have discrimination in marriage laws, then why not now? Why were only certain people allowed to marry after that? People say that was a big step for marriage in our country, but it left out rights for many people. It is time to change the laws that are unfair to a large percentage of the population.
“The first point, which is often debated regarding this issue, is the origin of homosexuality. While many believe it is a "choice" made by an individual - I am of the belief that it is part of a person’s biological make-up. Virtually everything about our bodies is determined before we are born - our sexuality is no different. Sexuality and attraction are physical and chemical in nature. If you are heterosexual and believe this is a "choice" we make - I have a question for you...When did you decide to be heterosexual? What age were you? When did you decide that you would be aroused by members of the opposite sex? You probably never "made" this decision - it just evolved...when you were a pre-teen, you became fascinated with going by someone's locker or sitting next to them in the cafeteria at school, etc. These were the early origins of your sexuality, before you were aware of what true sexual intimacy would mean in your adult life. For someone who is gay or lesbian, often, just the opposite occurs - those little crushes form towards members of the same sex. It isn't wrong - it's simply different.” (moneyprograms)
The people who argue that gay and lesbian people “choose” being that way never stepped back and looked at themselves. Why would someone choose to be that way? Why would someone want to make their lives based on the fight for their rights? Why would someone choose to make their lives more difficult? Why would someone choose to be different from what is “normal” today in our society? Did heterosexuals “choose” their sexual orientation? When did our president choose his sexual orientation? When did our government choose that being straight was “right”? In American government today, all people are supposed to be equal. The gay community was not included in this, in terms of marriage.
“Some scientific studies have pointed to findings that gay men's brain anatomy is similar to heterosexual women and different from their heterosexual male counterparts… Other findings include that fingerprints of gay men match closely with those of heterosexual women, and fingerprints are formed 16 weeks after conception within the womb which could point to homosexuality being determined by genetic factors.” (Wikipedia) Though it has not been scientifically proven that homosexuality is something that people are born with, there are many similarities in homosexuals and the opposite sex. Those similarities are something that people can not choose. They are similarities in their bodies and brains. No one can “choose” what they will have when they come out of the womb.
200 years ago, enlightenment thinkers raised the radical idea that parents and the government should not have control over who married whom. The American Revolution encouraged people to engage in "the pursuit of happiness," including marrying for love. As a result of that, thinkers began to argue that same-sex love should be allowed. (Coontz) If our government started and is based on the enlightenment thinkers, then why is not every human being given the right to pursue happiness? Who’s to say that only heterosexual couples can be happily married? Every human is given the right to life, liberty and property. Homosexuals should express their right of liberty by being able to marry the one person whom they love.
“Many conservative Christians interpret these passages as stating unambiguously that all homosexual behavior is forbidden, is an abomination, and is hated by God. It does not matter whether it is in the form of casual sex with a stranger, or sex within a committed, monogamous relationship. It is all sinful. Some consider it an "ordinary" sin -- in the same league as all other incorrect behavior, like lying, cheating or stealing. Others consider it such a serious sin that it will prevent gays and lesbians from attaining Heaven after death, even if they had previously been saved.” (Religious Tolerance)
Many people in the American government base our laws on religion despite our “separation of church and state” law. They often say that the Bible does not allow homosexual behavior and that is what leads them against gay marriage. “The union of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution, honoring -- honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith…Marriage cannot be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening the good influence of society…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. Our government should respect every person, and protect the institution of marriage” (Bush).
Clearly, our government is being run by a man who makes decisions based on his religious beliefs. He stated in his speech on February 24, 2004, that the country should respect every person by “protecting” marriage. Restricting a gay couple from getting married, is not respecting them at all. Homosexuals are citizens too. Did he forget about them? Members of the gay community should not be forgotten. The government is not allowing them to show their love for each other by getting married because of the countries religious background. The president explained how the government should not interfere with the freedom of the people but he states that protecting what he thinks marriage is, would be more important than the freedom of the people.
One of the reasons Christians and supporters of the ban of gay marriage say they should not marry is because they can not procreate. Not one human being can choose what organs they are born with. The reason for the government not allowing gays to marry should not be based on whether they can or can not procreate. If a heterosexual woman who had her uterus removed from her body and a man who became sterile after cancer want to marry, are they going to be denied of marriage license? What about the desire to have children? What if a couple decides they never want to have children? Are they as well going to be denied of marriage licenses? If our government is going to deny marriage licenses based on that, then who is going to start investigating whether a couple can or can not produce children or have the desire to, before they get married? (moneyprograms)
If our government is going to base our laws on religion, then shouldn’t atheist and people of no faith in Christianity be denied of marriage licenses? Allowing gay people to marry will not affect Christian people who want to marry or protect their own marriage, at all. No one is telling them who they can and can not marry, why don’t gays have the same rights? Heterosexual people have the right to marry for love, why not the gay couples? In this country, we have freedom of religion and everyone is granted the right to express it. People of the Christian faith have the right to express their beliefs in their marriages, why not gay people?
If churches and other religious groups feel gay marriage is wrong, they do not have to participate. No one is forcing pastors to marry homosexuals. Supporters of gay marriage just feel that they should be granted the same rights as every other loving heterosexual couple. Many homosexual couples would love to stand in front of their friends and families and show everyone how much they love their partner and how dedicated they are to each other. Heterosexual couples get to express those feelings and have the marriage license to legally prove they are committed to each other. Gay couples want to be treated the same as heterosexual couples. There is no reason for them to be rejected of that because of their sexual orientation.
People in the gay community are often shunned, isolated and rejected from society. Children who are born differently on the outside are not treated any differently than the majority of children. Children born without 10 fingers or 10 toes or even lefty’s are not isolated from our society. If being gay is something you can not choose, just as you can not choose which hand you write with, why is our government still treating them as outcasts? (moneyprograms). In history, those who were “different” from the rest of society had to fight for their equal rights. The gay community is simply doing the same.
Everyone has the right to express what they feel is right due to freedom of speech in our constitution. The people who support the ban of gay marriages have the right to express their want to keep it banned, just as supporters of gay marriage have their right to express how it should be changed. However, it is unconstitutional to let your religious beliefs run the American government. People marry for love. Homosexuals as well as heterosexuals believe that being married is an important decision and the person you marry should be the person you feel you want to spend the rest of your life with. Not even the government should be given the right to say who can and can not fall in love. Everyone should be able to spend the rest of their life committed to the person they love and letting everyone know of their relationship.
“''We must recognize that many gay and lesbian couples in New Jersey are in committed relationships and deserve the same benefits and rights as every other family in this state” –Gov. Jon S. Corzine. New Jerseys Governor believes that homosexuals can love each other and nurture children just as well as straight adults can. He signed a civil union’s bill that allows gay couples to have the same rights that straight couples have. They are entitled to inheritance, social security, immediate family hospital visits, health care, and other benefits married couples can have. (Thomson) Many gay couples are protesting that this bill is still not equal. They get all the legal benefits of a marriage but are still separate from other couples. Many are protesting “all or nothing.”
Some anti-gay marriage activists feel that homosexuals would have a high divorce rate. “More than 80% [of divorces] do so within the first 20 years.”(Wikipedia) On average, about half of the American heterosexual population is getting divorced. Who are they to say that homosexuals would do worse than that? The population will not know that unless homosexuals are granted the right to marry.
In conclusion, marriage is about love. Anyone can fall in love no matter what age, race, religion, gender, etc. Every human being deserves the same human rights as the person next to them. Discrimination should not be tolerated. America has come a long way from discrimination and has a few more steps to take. We’ve had civil rights movements in this country with African-Americans and now with homosexuals. Discrimination was demolished decades ago and now homosexuals want the same rights. The entire country wants to be heard. Those who are against gay marriage feel as if they should push their personal values on other people. Letting two gay or lesbian people marry will not effect or jeopardize their marriage at all. Heterosexuals get the same rights they have now without being effected by other people getting married. If they believe marriage is a holy union, churches are not forced to perform marriages that they do not agree with. The gay community is simply asking to show their commitment to their love partner through marriage just as heterosexual people do.
How can you help? You can show your support for the gay community and their struggle for equal rights. There are many protests for gay marriage in many cities. Get involved. Read more about the subject and keep updated on what is going on with the controversial issue. If something appalls you or makes you happier, write about it. Write to newspapers, news stations, websites, magazines, etc. Local congressmen can help the rest of the country hear your voice. If you support the gay community and want to see changes in the government, write them a letter. Show them that you, the people, support equal rights and same-sex marriage. Tell them marriage is about love, no matter what gender you are.
