Same-sex marriage Free Essays

Gay marriage, or same-sex marriage, has been one of the critical issues that still plagued lots of people today. There are many who are strongly against the idea because of their belief in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. And there are those who embraced the idea because they think that marriage is all about equality and freedom to choose and decide. We will write a custom essay sample on Same-sex marriage or any similar topic only for you Order Now There have been debates whether gay marriage should be legalized. This was usually the topic among those who are for and against the issue. Many are asking what the big deal in same-sex marriage is. The churches, especially, are raising their eyebrows at this issue. Marriage encourages people to build a life together committed to each other. West (n.d.) argues that in some ways, same-sex marriage (or gay marriage) and opposite sex marriage are identical. The difference is that in the opposite sex marriage, one of the couple has a different sex (p.726). The issue of gay marriage delves into underlying values such as equality, family values, fairness, privacy and diversity. Messerli (2007) proposes that legalizing gay marriage will encourage people to have strong family values. This means that those who engage in gay marriage will not be discriminated by their own family for involving into such activities. Gay couples can adopt kids since they cannot bear children. This is a good thing since there are many children in need of adoption. Those who support gay marriage believe that everybody deserves privacy and equality in every opportunity. Kitzinger and Wilkinson (2006) say that equal access to marriage is a matter of equality, despite the gender of the partners (p.174). Toby Adams, a bisexual in California, is fighting for marriage equality. She was married to another woman. She said that same-sex marriage looks beyond a lesbian or gay issue (qtd. in Kitzinger Wilkinson, 2006). Kitzinger and Wilkinson (2006) add that equal access to marriage (and civil partnership) is the important issue and not same-sex marriage or gay marriage (p.177). This is irrespective of gender and sexuality. In other countries such as Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain, any two people of marriageable age can be married despite gender and sexuality. Other countries were starting to accept sexual and gender diversity. Peter Tatchell, a gay human rights campaigner, said that discrimination would worsen if heterosexual couples are excluded from civil partnerships. There should be equality in civil marriage lesbian and gay partners. One of the advantages of gay marriage, as West (n.d.) assumes, is that if same-sex marriage is legalized, it would â€Å"normalize† the for-life union between individuals. Aside from this, couples will experience a marital life away from the illiberal and unfree tradition of the past. West (n.d.) also points out that gay unions can be better as communities. Moreover, gay unions, like their heterosexual counterparts, can change the person into someone whose self-regarding preferences and desires are communal. This is morally desirable, West points out, transformation of self-regard and identity. Some people think that one of the disadvantages of gay marriage is that it would further degrade the meaning of marriage (Boushka, 2004). Henry (2006) commented that gays could destroy marriage because â€Å"they have more flair† than the rest of the population. He said that the solution is to ban gay marriage. Messerli (2007) presented the views of opposite sides regarding the legalization of same-sex marriage. For those who say yes, the following are the reasons for legalizing same-sex marriage: first, marriage benefits must be available to all couples; homosexuality is now accepted in the society; denying gay couples means violating religious freedom; love should be the most important matter; it is a form of minority discrimination to deny gay couples marriage; same-sex marriage does not hurt the society; same-sex marriage promotes family values and avoidance of high-risk sexual lifestyles, and; the number of kids for adoption will decrease since more gay couples will want to adopt kids. On the other hand, the opposite view provides the following problems that result from legalizing same-sex marriage: first, same-sex marriage deteriorates the traditional family values of our society, as is noted by Messerli (2007); second, it could diminish respect for the institution of marriage; most religions think homosexuality is a sin, and; researches showed that gay lifestyle leads to psychological disorders and lower life expectancy (Messerli, 2007). Morse (2007) presents some negative outcomes from gay marriage. One is that triple parenting will emerge, as was the case in California and Pennsylvania. The concept of â€Å"natural parents† will be replaced by â€Å"legal parents.† Second, same-sex marriage will marginalize men from the family. This implies that if a child does not need one parent from each gender, fathers become disposable. Third, the state will determine the parentage of same sex couples, which will adversely affect the children. This could result to destabilization of parentage. Wilkins (2005) says that policymakers must generate policies that will aid people in what type of social structures they make. This is also to respect and give equal credence to divorced and married couple. He furthered that policymakers bear in mind what the social policies can do for people. Wilkins (2005) discusses the social and moral consequences of gay marriage in our society. He says that it could have an effect in the public schools since education is one of the sectors already impacted by the same-sex marriage. Another consequence is the deterioration of the definition of marriage. I believe that the traditional form of marriage between man and woman should be cherished. The next generation must realize that what Wilkins (2005), Morse (2007), Boushka (2004) and the others propose is true. It is important to cement the sanctity of marriage created by God for man and woman. References Boushka, B. 2004, Gay marriage and family responsibility, Available at: http://www.doaskdotell.com/controv/gaymarry.htm Henry, R. 2006, Solution to all problems: ban gay marriage, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette web site: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06172/699847-154.stm Kitzinger, C. Wilkinson, S. 2006, ‘Genders, sexualities and equal marriage rights,’ Lesbian and Gay Psychology Review, vol.7, no.2, pp. 174-178. Messerli, J. 2006,   A compromise solution to the gay marriage debate, BalancedPolitics.org, Available at: http://www.balancedpolitics.org/editorial-solution_to_gay_marriage_debate.htm Messerli, J. 2007, Should same-sex marriage be legalized? BalancedPolitics.org, Available at: http://www.balancedpolitics.org/same_sex_marriages.htm Morse,JR. 2007, The problem with gay marriage, Available at: http://www.jennifer-roback-morse.com/articles/problem_gay_marriage.pdf West, R. ‘Universalism, Liberal Theory, and the Problem of Gay Marriage,’ Florida State University Law Review,   vol. 25, no. 705. Wilkins, R. 2005, An examination of the constitutional amendment of marriage, World Family Policy Center web site: http://www.worldfamilypolicy.org/marriage.html#top How to cite Same-sex marriage, Essay examples Same-Sex Marriage Free Essays Conflict has been surrounding the debate of whether same-sex marriage should be granted to gay couples as homosexuality is considered â€Å"unacceptable† or â€Å"wrong† for many. The majority of public opinions tend to view same sex marriage negatively and reject the idea of allowing homosexual couples to wed each other. It was determined by law that people of the same gender should not be given the opportunity to marry because it does not follow the moral standard of allowing only a man and woman to wed. We will write a custom essay sample on Same-Sex Marriage or any similar topic only for you Order Now On the contrary, those who oppose gay couples due to their lifestyle are people who do not factor in that anyone should be allowed to love whoever they choose regardless of gender. Marriage to most people is defined by a man and a woman. It is the sacred bond that connects the significant other to you. It is seen as the union that connects parents to their children. As the population within the homosexual community increases, the current situation will only fall in favor for gay and lesbian unity. The presence of gay and lesbian people has risen constantly over time and has led many to protest for the fair treatment of gay people. It has attracted a lot of scrutiny due to the fact that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) essentially allows only couples of opposite genders to marry each other while couples of the same gender are not allowed that same opportunity. Former United States President Bill Clinton was responsible for passing DOMA during his presidency and as a result initiated a zero tolerance policy towards same-sex marriage. With the effects of DOMA being enforced, people all across the country felt that gay people were being discriminated against. Activists and supporters of gay rights began to rally together in an effort to prove that gay people deserve equality. Supporters continued to confront and retaliate DOMA through protesting and sending messages to convince the government to retract it. Seeing the amount of support for gay marriage political figures were pressured to act upon the situation. What makes the topic of same-sex marriage so interesting is how society shifted its view of homosexuality. Much of the public opinion converted their standpoint which came into fruition at an instantaneous pace. There were many powerful politicians that refused to integrate gay marriage as a right. Both Democratic and Republican parties did not support it at all preceding last year and social-conservative leaders were not worried of homosexual aspects being a part of marriage.(Drehle, Web) Even as the federal law has eased up, individual states are given the choice of accepting or denying same-sex marriage at their own discretion. Although society is still rather oppressive towards homosexuality, recent times have provided hope for same sex couples as support for same sex marriage continues to increase rapidly. Some states have reversed their same-sex marriage policy to which they have elected to embrace same-sex marriage by passing laws to allow it. Those who oppose same-sex marriage may argue that giving homosexuals the right to marry will deteriorate the social structures that we have in place, but that is only discriminating the gay population by denying them standard constitutional rights. Even President Bill Clinton recently stated publicly that he was wrong for passing DOMA and has apologized profusely as he sees just how it impacts gay people. Religious groups and organizations, namely Christians and Catholics, are the biggest opposition towards the legalization of same sex marriage. The majority have considerable hate towards the idea of allowing people of the same gender to love and are heavily influenced by the belief that God does not accept homosexuality. â€Å"WHEN PEOPLE talk about the institution of marriage, they often wax nostalgic. They think, and often say, that until very recently marriage was a lifelong commitment by one man and one woman, sanctified by God and the state, for the purposes of companionship and the rearing of children.† (Nussbaum, Web) They adamantly stick by the notion that the institution of marriage is defined solely by a man and woman. This is completely unreasonable as this the belief of a religion that does not apply to everyone. People who faithfully follow their religion treat it as an absolute law separate from what is morally correct to others. â€Å"The various concerns that religious groups use, as reasons to prohibit homosexual marriage, are in my opinion weak and can actually be turned around and made into arguments in support of same-sex marriage.† (Baker, n.p.) They cannot see beyond what their religion dictates as correct and are oblivious to political issues pertaining to society. Religion is relatively bias considering that it was created by man to communicate the testaments of an omnipotent and omnipresent force. Religion throughout decades has evolved and should adjust in order to conform with society. Coinciding religion with same-sex marriage is a bad idea partly because religion branches out in different ways. It is often debated by churches as to whether they should accept same-sex marriage; generally based on the state of law it is up to them to marry gay couples. Legalizing same-sex marriage will not disrupt the functionality of society nor will it affect heterosexual marriages. The belief of allowing same-sex marriage is that it will corrupt the premise of family values that are so woven into the fabric of our society. Allowing gay couples the right to marry would be beneficial to the economy. It will supplement the desire of planning a wedding with Marriage would encourage spending which would in turn help boost the number of jobs available. Potential jobs could include cater, bakery, restaurants, licensing, and other sorts of businesses that thrive on marriage. Many gay couples would not hesitate to spend money in preparation of a potential marriage which most people consider an important chapter in life. Numerous job opportunities become available as a result of same-sex marriage being realized. The Constitutional Budget Office found that budget could be improved slightly as an effect of legalizing same-sex marriage in every state. The federal government can potentially see a $1 billion increase each year for the next ten years as well as an increase in tax revenues of $500 million to $700 million each year. In addition, spending on federal assistance programs would decrease by roughly $100 million to $200 million per year because of same-sex marriage. (Covert, Web) Same-sex marriage has been projected to increase financial gains and provide some stimulus if they are recognized by the federal government. From an economic perspective there is little doubt  that same-sex marriage will help spark a much needed In terms of receiving benefits, same-sex couples should be eligible for the same that heterosexual married couples tend to receive. Since same-sex marriage is being accepted by states during the past years, the benefits to which same-sex couples are entitled to were rather limited. The eligibility to receive federal benefits for same-sex couples varied by state and often times were (Although the ruling by the Supreme Court states that legally married same-sex couples are given the right by federal law to obtain benefits such as taxes and pension, gay couples are required to follow state tax laws depending on their residency. This affects their financial rights because each state has varying laws. (Hawthorne, Web) â€Å"This is particularly a problem for residents of the 27 states that have a state income, estate or inheritance tax and do not treat same-sex marriage, domestic partnerships or civil unions the same as heterosexual marriage for tax purposes.† (Hawthorne, Web) Many states that accept same-sex marriage are providing unequal benefits to married same-sex couples compared to heterosexual couples. Progress certainly is being made when it comes to achieving equal rights for gay people, but there are still a lot of political related issues that need to be addressed before same-sex marriage can truly be considered acceptable. Discrimination against the gay community continues to exist throughout states even after society’s attitude being in favor of them; there are still a large portion of people who simply hate or refuse to accept gay people because of who they are. Same-sex marriage being legalized in a number of states is a victory for equal rights, but gay couples should be wary of the fact that not everyone is at terms with it reforming society to compensate for gay rights. As it stands right now, the gay population has a very strong hold on society and is progressing quite rapidly through the barriers that keep them from being treated equally. Gay people are heavily discriminated against and its difficult to understand why they are being treated in such a way. Allowing gay couples to marry would not pose an issue as most people might think;  it’s been determined that same sex marriage would in fact have a positive impact to . They continue to expand which is a reason why society has become aware of its presence and the discrimination that they are faced with. Due to such overwhelming support for gay rights, the government is constantly facing pressure to amend the laws that prohibit gay couples from getting married. With this mentioned, same-sex marriage should be legalized in an effort to further advance equal rights for all people. How to cite Same-Sex Marriage, Papers