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As I have now defined the issue of same sex marriage and the stakeholders of the controversial
issue, I think it is time that I move into the pros and cons of this civic issue. Frankly speaking, it is
very important to discuss these points as it gives both sides of the issue from those who are for and
against same sex marriage.
When debating or discussing this issue, an important question to ask is whether or not legalizing
same-sex marriage hurt the traditional marriage. The issue of should gay marriage be legally
recognized was addressed in a pro/con forum where two experts from either side argued a particular
side. He who argued for the pro side had this to day. Many people see marriage as the bringing
together of two people and an opportunity for friends and family to come together in recognizing the
couples commitment to each other. However, it is so much more than that because it is a unique
relationship of two people. The word marriage is identical to family because a family starts out with
two people and grows as big as it wants to. Furthermore, marriage gives the right of way to
hundreds of legal protections established by the state and thousands by the federal government
(Jost).
Gay and lesbian families are entitled to limited laws and can only protect themselves in limited ways.
In order to entitle themselves to such laws, they would have to go to extensive measures to see them
through. As marriage is a social institution of the highest importance, it is important that all married
couples regardless of homo- or heterosexual be granted these rights and liberties. Otherwise,
the gay community will continue to fall short of the status of full citizenship, marking them inferior to
the rest of society (Jost).
In response to the pro- same-sex marriage writer, the opposition had this to say: Genetically
speaking, marriage based on the fact that human beings have distinct differences, starting with either
XX- or XY-chromosomes. Sexual orientation can and does change sometimes. There are some
more distinctions between same-sex couples and married couples. They may are missing the
essential element: they may have children, but so does an orphanage; they may have long term
contracts, but so do parents, children, etc. According to the opposition, the key element is the
differentiation between the XX and the XY chromosomes, which are vital to representing the two
halves of the human body, thus being able to preserve the human race.
Upon reading this, I could not let this go unaddressed. How is this article even published when
someone says something like this? Seriously, what difference does it make what gender you are?
The first person makes a great point: why should it matter what gender you are? Regardless, you
should be able to love whomever you love. Society is only making the current situation worse by
creating more problems in relation to this topic by saying such things as this.
Back to the original point being made about whether or not legalizing gay marriage hurts traditional
marriage. If you ask me, the answer is absolutely no; there is no correlation between traditional
marriage and gay marriage. If anything, it only adds more flavor and more variety into the topic and
issue of marriage. I agree on the fact that it is definitely an issue, but that is only because people are
making it an issue. Instead, if everyone were to just accept gay marriage and move on with the rest
of their lives, I think the society would be better off; I mean lets be honest: there are other leading
countries around the world that accept gay marriage and they approve of it. So at the end of the day,
what it all boils down to is Why not? I feel like I am harping on the same topic on each blog post,
but it seriously is a big issue that needs to be addressed.
The concept of "traditional marriage" being defined as one man and one
woman is historically inaccurate. Given the prevalence of modern and
ancient examples of family arrangements based on polygamy, communal
child-rearing, the use of concubines and mistresses and the commonality of
prostitution, heterosexual monogamy can be considered "unnatural in
evolutionary terms. [3]
Denying same-sex couples the right to marry stigmatizes gay and lesbian
families as inferior and sends the message that it is acceptable to
discriminate against them. The Massachusetts Supreme Court wrote in an
opinion to the state Senate on Feb. 3, 2004 that offering civil unions was not
an acceptable alternative to gay marriage because "...it is a considered
choice of language that reflects a demonstrable assigning of same-sex,
largely homosexual, couples to second-class status." [42]
Gay marriages can bring financial gain to state and local governments.
Revenue from gay marriage comes from marriage licenses, higher income
taxes (the so-called "marriage penalty"), and decreases in costs for state
benefit programs. [4] The Comptroller for New York City found that legalizing
gay marriage would bring $142 million to the citys economy and $184
million to the states economy over three years. [43
Gay marriage would make it easier for same-sex couples to adopt, providing
stable homes for children who would otherwise be left in foster care. [68] In
the US, 100,000 children are waiting to be adopted. [44] A longitudinal study
published in Pediatrics on June 7, 2010 found that children of lesbian mothers
were rated higher than children of heterosexual parents in social and
academic competence and had fewer social problems. [45] A July 2010 study
found that children of gay fathers were "as well-adjusted as those adopted
by heterosexual parents." [46] As Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein
argues, "We should be begging gay couples to adopt children. We should see
this as a great boon that gay marriage could bring to kids who need nothing
more than two loving parents." [68]
Gay marriage legalization is correlated with lower divorce rates, while gay
marriage bans are correlated with higher divorce rates. Massachusetts, which
became the first state to legalize gay marriage in 2004, had the lowest
divorce rate in the country in 2008. Its divorce rate declined 21% between
2003 and 2008. Alaska, which altered its constitution to prohibit gay
marriage in 1998, saw a 17.2% increase in its divorce rate. The seven states
with the highest divorce rates between 2003 and 2008 all had constitutional
prohibitions to gay marriage. [2]
If the reason for marriage is strictly reproduction, infertile couples would not
be allowed to marry. Ability or desire to create offspring has never been a
qualification for marriage. George Washington oftenreferred to as
"theFatherofOurcountry,did not have children with his wife Martha Custis,
and neither did four other married US presidents have children with their
wives. [9]
Same-sex marriage is a civil right. The 1967 Supreme Court case Loving v.
Virginia confirmed that marriage is "one of the basic civil rights of man," [60]
and same-sex marriages should receive the same protections given to
interracial marriages by that ruling. The NAACP (National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People), on May 19, 2012, named same-sex
marriage as "one of the key civil rights struggles of our time." [61]