Equal rights for all
A constitutional ban on gay marriage is "a declaration of war against gay America" (Bumiller). It is an act of discrimination and intolerance solely based on religious perspectives. Allowing gays and lesbians the same rights as everyone else does nothing to harm or take away the rights of others. This amendment should not be allowed to pass, and the basic civil right to get married should be extended to all Americans. In the past the constitution has been amended to expand and protect the rights of Americans. This will be the first time it has been used to limit and take away rights. For example, a constitutional amendment expanded the rights of women to vote, and another gave African Americans equal rights instead of separate but equal rights as put on them by the Jim crow laws. These rights were separate but they were far from equal. In a sense the discrimination of gays and lesbians goes back to the old Jim crow laws of separate but not equal, by not allowing us to get married but instead letting the states decide if they will allow civil unions. Civil unions are a far step from marriage. They do not provide for 1,049 federal benefits that full marriage guarantees (Meade). Some of these rights that
The mayor of New Paltz, didn't feel like it would do any harm and has been performing gay and lesbian marriages. Therefore the amendment should not be passed because it is an issue with the church and not the state, and the two things are separate and should not affect each other. straight married couples take for granted are: Social Security survivor benefits, spousal privilege in a court trial, time off work if a partner is sick or has passed away, the ability to make medical decisions if there partner is unable to, and veterans survivors benefits. In conclusion an amendment to ban gay marriage "is a nuclear bomb of anti-gay attacks, forever wiping out most of the protections for same- sex couples" (Brandt) This can not be allowed to happen. (Dolan) US senator, Barney Frank, is quoted at saying "It doesn't detract from anyone else. In order for this to become a state issue people have to be being harmed if gays and lesbians are allowed to get married. Spitzer because he said a case only calls for interjection if irreparable harm was taking place, and that was not the case in New Paltz. This is just not the case, it is not hurting anyone, and it is not doing anything to change or affect the marriages of straight people. A constitutional amendment banning gay marriage is like saying that people should be denied rights just because who they love offends someone's religion ("Putting Bias in the Constitution"). The president's speech, declaring his support of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and stating that marriage is only between a man and a woman, is one of hatred and discrimination. There is really no legal issue here no one is being hurt, and no crimes are being committed to justify the need for this amendment. In response to this the governor asked attorney general Spitzer for a court order to halt these marriages. (Santora and Crampton) San Francisco a city that has begun issuing hundreds of marriage certificates to gay and lesbian couples in response to the presidents speech says they are doing it to help to "show the nation that married couples aren't a threat and nobody else's marriage is harmed when loving same sex couples receive equal treatment. However, following the president's line of thinking we also should have amendments that forbid us from eating pork, and all the other things the Bible says are wrong.
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Acceptance Essays
