For Gay Marriage Andrew Sullivan’s article “For Gay Marriage” is an excerpted from Sullivan’s 1995 book, Virtually Normal: An Argument About Homosexuality, and reprinted by Behrens and Rosen (404 – 407). This paper provides a summary of Sullivan’s controversial article on this timely and long-fought civil rights issue. “For Gay Marriage” highlights the moral, philosophical and legal arguments surrounding the issue of denying marriage to homosexual and lesbian Americans. More importantly, it highlights the moral, philosophical and legal arguments in favor of gay marriage, which Sullivan clearly supports. Although Sullivan clearly supports gay marriage, his article is an insightful piece that provides a respectful look at various views of this philosophically and emotionally-charged subject, while providing a sound intellectual argument in favor of gay marriage.
I think that the way others perceive the gay lifestyle, as in the cultural perspective, would maybe make me self conscience and would maybe even make me weary of coming out or allowing others to acknowledge that I was gay at all. I think that I may even go through a denial stage because I would not want others to look at me in a negative way or to be afraid of me because I were gay. I also think that the biological perspective may even influence my view of my sexual orientation if I were gay because there would be a possible chance of my selection being genetic or hereditary. I think that biologically my point of view on the gay sexual orientation would actually be more positive than negative because then I would feel a bit more at ease because being gay was not just a choice but the way that I was born. I think that for me being born gay or the thought of being born gay would actually give me a little more comfort in knowing that it is the way that I was created, not that I made what some people would consider a bad choice or a good
People have choices and you are who you are by the choices you make and the experiences you have in life. In a study using identical twins to prove homosexuality is not genetic, Dr. Neil Whitehead states, “The predominant things that create homosexuality in one identical twin and not in the other have to be post-birth factors”. Dr. Whitehead believes same-sex attraction (SSA) is caused by “non-shared factors”, things happening to one twin but not the other, or a personal response to an event by one of the twins and not the other. Hyperactivity is a disorder caused by genetics and/or environmental factors. If a mother abuses drugs or alcohol when pregnant, the baby will be more likely to be born with certain disorders like hyperactivity.
Journal Responses #4 In his essay, ‘What Is A Homosexual,’ Andrew Sullivan accomplishes an in depth insight to the meaning and effects of homosexuality on an individual’s lifestyle by providing an analysis of his own past experiences as well as observations of the behaviors of other homosexuals. As humans, we are prone to making assumptions about those who are different than us, and in order to avoid rejection or alienation, many are forced to hide who they are in favor of risking the acceptance of their peers--as Sullivan describes, “there is something masculine and respected in the discipline of the arts and especially in the sciences. You can gain respect and still be different.” (156) Unfortunately, by covering the truth to dodge the disapproval of others, Sullivan notes that the results only end up causing self-loathing. What I appreciated about this essay was Sullivan’s delivery of an equally personal as well as
This brings one to the conclusion that it is impossible to assume there is one shared morality because different opinions exist. One side of the spectrum might view prostitution beneficial to the City of Pooh, while the other may find it immoral or criminal. Hence, society is not threatened by the diversity of opinions; it is threatened when those opinions do not leave room for change and the exchange of ideas. The opinions of the opposition; however, do not adequately support their stance on criminalizing prostitution because it lacks reason and conducive evidence. Based on the political theories of John Stewart Mill, John Locke, and Patrick Devlin, the City of Pooh should approve the proposal to legalize prostitution.
This reading was about the viewpoints of heterosexuals who feel and question if homosexuality should be eliminated. Many do not feel that this is a way of life, and this reading proved the viewpoints of many who see homosexuality as a disease, immoral, lecherous, or anti-social. Even though those who do not agree or approve with homosexuality, they stand it. Throughout this reading, it talks about how society deals with homosexuality, trying to cure it when, really, society is just making it worse. Society makes it clear their disapproval of homosexuality, but tries to punish it in a way that does not begin to “cure” it at all.
So if you are saying that gay marriage should not be allowed to marry based on moral issues, you are in essence saying that morally it is worse to be a homosexual than to be a rapist, murderer, or child molester. It is this kind of thinking that has held society back. Still others would argue that due to divorce and cohabitation the institution of marriage is already in a weakened state. They view allowing legal gay marriage as the potential straw that is going to break marriages back. I would acknowledge marriage does not have the same prevalence and level of commitment it held in past generations but the decline of marriage has nothing to do with homosexuals.
Despite the increase in acceptance of homosexuality many Americans still view homosexuality as morally wrong. The degree of sexual orientation is key to one’s self-definition. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals are diverse and varied among cultural background, ethnic or race identity, age, income, and place of residence. Research on transgender populations has never been adequate being that most studies misrepresent the transgender populations by including gender-nonconformist individuals such as gay or lesbians peoples who’s gender identity is clearly distinct from their sexual orientation. Other studies have ignored a range of individuals who identify as
The reading emphasizes the concern they have with people performing research on sexual orientation work while within homophobic frameworks, despite claiming they are indeed working in a non bias environment. An example of a person conducting such research as just mentioned is German obstetrician Gunter Dorner whom the authors believe holds too much a favoritism toward heterosexism when dealing with homosexuality. A quote the author’s pulled that suggests his standing on this topic states, “Dorner writes about homosexuality as a “dysfunction” or “disease” based on “abnormal brain
If a person is deeply in love with a person of the same sex they shouldn’t have to worry about if the government will let them get married or not and I have many reason as to how the government is violating peoples right’s. Same sex marriage in many religions is considered a sin and that’s the