Debates on Gay Marriage
In 2003, the United States Supreme Court stuck down sodomy law. Justice Antonin Scalia noted that with the ruling had opened the door for the next battle, gay marriage, for the court had dismantled the structure of the law that permitted distinction between heterosexual and homosexuals unions (Conan)Gay marriage is a topic of passionate debate throughout the United States, as state courts, legislatures, and city mayors sort through the issues. As gay marriages are being performed in various states, debates continue on the federal and state constitutional amendments to ban them (Conan). While the American public may be closely divided on other issues, surveys demonstrate that they oppose gay marriage by two-to-one (Conan). Yet, the majority of arguments against gay marriage amount to little more than fear of change. According to Andy Kohut with the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, in March 2004 roughly 60 percent of the public oppose gay marriage, with approximately 32 percent favoring it, up from previous months when only 50 percent opposed and 40 percent favored (Conan). Oddly, it seems that the Supreme Court decision caused a backlash against gay marriage, politicizing the issue homosexuality. One surv
Stanley Kurtz with the Hoover Institution believes that gay marriage threatens marriage because if marriage is redefined now, then it might be difficult to stop the process, meaning that at some point, a group of people could file a discriminatory suit claiming they have been denied the benefits of marriage, and then the issue of polygamy will be debated (Conan). , including 700,000 gays and roughly 26,000 same-sex households, and given that more than 700 state rights and 1,100 federal protections are associated with marriage, recognition of gay marriage would have a profound impact (Fernandez). Seculars on balance favor gay marriage. Governor George Pataki issued an executive order granting gay survivors of the World Trade Center benefits equal to their heterosexual counterparts (Fernandez). Legalization of gay marriage would allow homosexuals to make medical decisions for partners and take paid time off in order to care for them or grieve their death. Kohut notes that much of this attitude is what sociologists call socialization, in other words, these attitudes are ingrained in their head, with religion playing a major role (Conan). Thus, due to financial circumstances, creating a package is not an option for many gay couples (Fernandez). For example, Reverend David Rosenberry of Christ Church, states that there is overwhelming evidence in the Bible that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Kohut notes that 80 percent of the American public says: "I agree society should put no restrictions on sex between consenting adults," but the issue of marriage evokes many different points of view and factors that have nothing to do with what people do in their bedrooms (Conan). According to surveys, 30 percent of the general American public believes that homosexuals are born homosexual, 14 percent believe that it reflects upbringing, and 42 percent believe that it is a lifestyle, a choice (Conan). For example, in 1958, 98 percent of the American public believed that racially mixed marriages were immoral and against God's law, and Biblical teachings. Gay couples have a difficult time taking out life insurance on the other because insurers do not recognize the relationship, and gay couples lack the protections that divorcing couples receive (Fernandez). In terms of intensity in the general public, it's a one-sided argument" (Conan). New York has the larges homosexual community in the U. And that is the bigger problem because "that really goes to the seriousness of the interpersonal commitment that is embodied in the idea of civil marriage (Conan).
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