samesex marriages

Should Homosexuals Have the Right To Be Legally Married?

The question of whether or not homosexuals should have the right to be legally married is as absurd as asking whether or not heterosexuals should have this legal right. People are People. Love is love. Two people who are in love should be able to marry each other.

Not allowing homosexuals to marry goes against the constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process. It is denying these people basic civil rights which have already been granted to racial and ethnic minorities. In 1967, Loving Vs. Virginia ruled that laws prohibiting interracial marriages were unconstitutional and discriminatory (West Vol 5, 139). Though not racially discriminatory, laws prohibiting same-sex marriages are sexual discrimination. This is especially true when scientfic evidence suggests that most people are born with their sexual orientati

. . .

View the whole essay, without interruption

’’ Can it therefore be argued that it is ethically right, according to the Bible to judge what someone else’s family values should be? These ‘’traditions’’ spoke of are considered traditional because American historians have a ‘’tradition’’ of their own of ignoring homosexuality. This was before the colonization of our country, however, and since this country was founded on discrimination, it is no surprise that, historically, homosexuality has been America’s ‘’dirty little secret’’. It is argued that this definition of marriage is justified to preserve family values and traditional ethical notions. This is a monumental step towards equality. However, these arguments are based mostly on misguided readings of the Bible and history. It defined ‘’marriage’’ and ‘’spouse’’ to apply only to heterosexual relationships for the purpose of federal law.

Well, now they’re out and they’re proud, and they want to have the same legal rights as everyone else. Thus, these couples are being denied the equal protection of laws. Other states should be following Vermonts example and stopping the unconstitutional discrimination these laws impose, especially when studies show that at least 53% of the population believes gay partners should have some of the leglal rights of married couples (Simpson). Why shouldn’t it, though?

The Defense of Marriage Act was passed in 1996 as a reaction to these arguments (West Vol 6, 94). The state of Vermont has already recently recognized this by now allowing same-sex partners to be joined in a civil-union, which offers almost the same benefits of a marriage (Sneyd). In fact, there is historical evidence of the recognition of same-sex relationships up to the end of the medieval period (West Vol 4, 1674). When will this country finally realize that all men (and women) really are created equal, and that means everyone should be granted equal opportunities and equal rights, which includes the right to marry the one you love. The New Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines marriage as a close union, however, opponents of the view presented argue that it refers only to the union between a man and a woman and does not include same-sex couples.

Approximate Word count = 607
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Simply subscribe to view this paper, and 100,000 others.