Marriage is a commitment between two people to share their lives together including all the benefits that heterosexual marriages have. It’s not about what kind of sex you have, but what kind of family you have. Gay marriage will not have a negative effect on traditional marriage; it may set an example for everyone else. Statistics should that heterosexual marriages have a 40-50% divorce rate. Some states had a substantial divorce rate reduction once gay marriage was legalized (ProCon, 2012).
Many people feel that marriage is an institution between one man and one woman. Well, that's the most often heard argument, one even codified in a recently passed U.S. federal law. Yet it is easily the weakest. It seems to me that if the straight community cannot show a compelling reason to deny the institution of marriage to gay people, it shouldn't be denied. And such simple, nebulous declarations are hardly a compelling reason.
Gay Pride Parade/ LGBT (windsorpride.com) 3. Rights and benefits include : In hospital visitation, taxation, inheritance rights, health coverages, protection in end of relationships (gaymarriage.procon.org) Analysis/Explanation: What we have gone through as a Canadian society in terms of gay marriage being against the law and punishable by death, it is clear we have come a long way. Gay marriage is not only legal, but is celebrated and treated as equal rights. There will always be individuals that will be homophobic or completely against the idea of gays and lesbians but they will have to deal with that because we live in a society that welcomes
Lauren Adams Melissa Helton English 102 2 February 2012 Summary of A. Sullivan’s “For Gay Marriage” & W. Bennett’s “Against Gay Marriage”. Andrew Sullivan and William J. Bennett have very different opinions about legalizing gay marriage. Sullivan suggests it should be legal, but Bennett argues that it would ruin everything marriage stands for in America. In his book Virtually Normal: An Argument about Homosexuality (1995), former New Republic editor Andrew Sullivan argues that not having gay marriage is a violation of equality. He points out that he is not referring to religious traditions but suggests, in a public institution, marriage should be available to any two citizens.
Question: Should the full faith and credit clause uphold gay marriage nationwide? Answer: Yes “Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.” These words contained in the Full Faith and Credit Clause has been used to unify our states, and provide legal safety nets for a plethora of important binding legalities. Most recently, The Full Faith and Credit Clause had been watered down by other constitutional measures like the 96 “Defense of Marriage Act” but in reality, denying gay marriage national protection under the clause is counter to its purpose and a historical anomaly. Many like current Justice Scalia argue that traditional choice, based on public policy is a standard of US politics and is constitutional. It is for this reason that states do not have to recognize out of state gay marriages unlike other legal measures protected by the Full Faith and Credit Clause.
With these facts, gay marriage should not be considered an abomination nor a sin. . Gay Marriage vs. the Bible: Hypocrisy of Life The dream of every young girl is to one day stand before her family, friends, and God and commit her life in marriage to the one she loves. However, the dream of marriage for homosexuals is tarnished with acts of hatred, homophobia, and constant hypocrisy from those that interpret the Bible in a manner that benefits their own personal beliefs and understanding. This is a country based on freedom of religion, yet the religion in which this country was founded on,
Thomas mentions that gay and lesbian marriages should be the choice of the individuals not the government. He promotes gay and lesbian marriages by saying those who vote against gay and lesbian marriage are people of injustice. He states that we cannot solely base our decision on history alone, if so most states would still prohibit the marriage of different races. Thomas states that marriage should promote family and stability and people should not be denied this right. By depriving millions of gay American adults the rights that come from marriage, denies equal protection against the law.
Furthermore, in 2004 the Civil Partnership Act meant that gay individuals could now enter into a civil partnership; resulting in the stability and long term commitment of a family. All these changes could be linked to the growth of same sex families. Some sociologists are really happy with these changes. For example, feminists believe that society is patriarchal, meaning that men dominate and exploit women. They suggest
Adam & Eve Not Adam & Steve According to ‘dictionary.com’ marriage is ‘the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments and religious ceremonies’, so where do gay couples get the idea from that they should have the right to be legally wed? 7 Homosexuals are very fond of claiming that they are entitled to ‘gay rights’ and are ‘treated unfairly’, and to a certain degree I agree with this; I do believe that they have the right to be with and love whoever they wish without being judged, and that they are treated like a completely different species by homophobes. However, who are they to say that they are treated unfairly when it comes to martial laws? They have the exact same rights as heterosexuals; to marry a member of the opposite sex if they choose, but not the same sex - I can’t marry a member of my own sex even if I wanted to, and you don’t see me or the majority of the worlds’ population kicking up a fuss about that. So basically what the gay community are suggesting is not ‘equal rights’ but ‘extra rights’, which leads me smoothly onto my next point.
My Personal Ethics Statement: I believe that gay marriage should be legal because everyone should be treated with equality no matter what their sexual preference is. It is legal in more states to marry your pets than it is to marry your “life partner”. It has been said that gays make marriage look bad and give marriage a bad name but I disagree with that. Celebrities give marriage and its meaning a bad name when their marriages only last for 72 hours. My Ethical Lens Inventory Discoveries: Through the Ethical Lens Inventory, I discovered that it is designed to help you determine which category of the four ethical lenses you belong to.