GAY MARRIAGE TERM

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Should Homosexual Couples be allowed to Legally Marry?

Rambert Acero
B3- U.S. Gov.
January 16, 2015

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The greatest struggle seen in legalizing marriage for homosexuals is basically that; giving two citizens of the same gender the opportunity to marry one another. In order to not allow homosexuals to fully displease God with their “unnatural acts,” states had created separate institutions for couples. One being known as the domestic partnership and the other as a civil union. There is not much of a difference between the two. Civil unions are defined as legally recognizing unions with rights similar to those of Marriage. Notice I say similar, this is because they are not the same, and are not equal. A civil union comes with no protection or responsibilities once the couple goes out of state and another issue is that these couples receive no federal protection. Simply put, it is unfair and discriminating towards them. Due to the fact that they have a partner of the same gender means no longer being worthy enough to participate in a fundamental institution of our society and being excluded which is horrible. Disrespecting a person’s human dignity and hurting them when all they want is to complete their final step with marriage, yet the privilege is still taken away and treats these American families unfairly through the action of taking a benefit that must be available to all people, but the truth is that it still is not. This must be concerning to the public because no one should ever be treated as a lesser or have rights taken away because of their differences. No one has to be a by stander in this problem, even if it is not something you agree with or like, educate yourself on the issue and do something about it. It can be thought of as a subject you do not like, but once educating yourself on the problems, you understand it better and are capable of finding solutions for the problem. Voting pro-gay marriage does not mean your beliefs have to change with what you choose, because the way you vote is based on how what you feel is best for them, the economy, and you, plus the pro votes give people who struggle, the support they need in completing their families. Without marriage being legal to homosexuals their fifth, ninth, and fourteenth Amendments, and Due
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Process are being violated by taking away their liberty in having a choice to marry the same gender and denying the rights of a homosexual couples in having the option of marriage.
Some of the groups that oppose gay marriage are as follows: The Catholic Church, United Methodist Church, Southern Baptist Convention, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, National Association of Evangelicals, American Baptist Churches of USA, and two orthodox Jewish groups, the Orthodox Agudath Israel of America, the Orthodox Union, and mainstream Islam. The arguments for why gay marriage must stay illegal are because in traditional marriage, it has been used pro creation through the union of a man and woman in order to have children and to bear a family and that is not possible under “Natural Actions” for two sexes of the same gender to naturally create life. If the purpose for marriage was meant to create life, then hetero infertile couples would not be able to become married because their children would not be made naturally and since it is allowed, a couple of the same sex can also do the same, yet it is not allowed and illegal. Another reason for the opposing on gay marriage is that legalizing it could lead down a "slippery slope," a person wanting to marry multiple people, incest, bestiality, and other nontraditional relationships the right to marry. The argument is that it “could”, but it won’t because marriage only takes place with two people, incest will never become legal because of the high chance of giving birth to a child with a sickness or birth defects, bestiality is not given a chance, meaning it will never become legal for a human to marry an animal, marriage involves two people! Many imply this popular argument when they look at it and say that it is against their religion. This is a reason why the state and religious institutions should be kept separate. Also to legally marry someone (hetero), no religion is implied into it, but when it is a homosexual couple, religion is sprayed all over it, go figure. The final argument is that it will harm the children. Many do not want kids seeing or growing up into/ with those
Acero 4 families/ cultures because they feel it will have back lashes in the future of the children and society because it is “morally wrong”, but it has already been proven that children from hetero and homo couples turn out equivalently similar.
Moving on to the Judiciary, last year there were three couples of the same sex who challenged a Utah ban that involved one couple seeking to have its Iowa marriage recognized. However, U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby ruled in December that the ban denied Utah residents a "fundamental right," taking away "the dignity of these same-sex couples for no rational reason." Over 1,000 couples were married in Utah before the Supreme Court stopped the process pending appeals. Their marriages have neither been voided nor fully recognized by the state and about 300 Michigan couples are currently experiencing similar events following a resembling process last month. In all other states, district judges stayed with their own rulings. "It 's untenable to think about stripping away a couple 's marital status," says Shannon Minter, a lawyer with the National Coalition for Lesbian Rights, who is representing the Utah plaintiffs. "It would be devastating for those families and their children." Also an Oklahoma case that was filed nearly a decade ago came in until January and that U.S. District Judge Terence Kern ruled that the state 's ban "discriminates ... without a legally sufficient justification." By then, the Supreme Court had said that denying federal benefits to legally married couples was being violated by the Constitution. "Supreme Court law now prohibits states from passing laws that are born of strong dislike against homosexuals, extends constitutional protection to the moral and sexual choices of homosexuals, and prohibits the federal government from treating opposite-sex marriages and same-sex marriages differently," Kern said. "This court knows a rhetorical shift when it sees one." Still, Austin Nimocks a lawyer with Alliance Defending Freedom, is in the Oklahoma and Virginia cases. However, he says the states possess the right to create their own
Acero 5 marriage laws. Same-sex marriage, has not been rooted in American history or tradition. "Even on appeal, the burden remains on the plaintiffs to demonstrate that there is no rational basis for this law," Nimocks says. Both cases will be heard by the same three-judge panel, which includes judges chosen by George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. The cases will be heard be heard by the last three presidents and I know that their selection on judges is most likely going to be those who favor against gay marriage. I say this because on my research, George W. Bush was the one who banned gay marriage in California. Bill Clinton believes marriage is consisted of a man and a woman, and George H.W. Bush is the father of George W. Bush and could have influenced his son with traditional values. That is why I would have someone else choose the judges who will hear the cases and would prefer for the presidents to not pick them. Another way to address the problem would be to gather larger protest groups since petitions do not seem to catch any attention, and are rather ignored. Promoting gay marriage more through commercials too and I would feel for it to be more effective if people saw the kids being fine with it and learning how they grow up normally like in any other family. The gay marriage topic does lead people tending to focus on the negativity when seen with religion and when the topics involve same genders becoming married. To change this, people need to be more educated on the positive effects that legalizing gay marriage will bring. An example would be that it will bring in hundreds of millions of dollars to the first three to five years and that money would become something the state could use towards new projects/ ideas that the majority of the people voted on or need. Also it will lead to a lot more business for wedding retailers, and more children going to loving families, and being raised by a married family. Stating true facts and slowly moving from tradition to the newer generation by informing the public about the situations being faced, although you cannot entirely change
Acero 6 everyone’s views on current, those who you do not can change theirs. Summarizing it all, marriage must be a shared privilege containing equal benefits for all people.

Works Cited
Gay Marriage Pros and Cons http://gaymarriage.procon.org/ , 13 Jan. 2015

Gay Couples Wed in Mass. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32954-2004May17.html , 17 May 2014

How it Happened: 10 Years of Gay Marriage http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=f alse&id=313457795&m=313457796 , 18 May 2014 How It Happened: 10 Years of Gay Marriage http://www.npr.org/2014/05/17/313457795/how-it-happened-10-years-of-gay-marriage , 17 May 2014

8 Ways Legalizing Same Sex Marriage is Good for the economy http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/15/same-sex-marriage-economy_n_3267725.html , 15 May 2013

Religious groups join the Utah fight against gay marriage http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0210/Religious-groups-join- the-Utah-fight-against-gay-marriage , 10 Feb. 2014

History and Debate of Gay Marriage http://www.debate.org/gay-marriage/ , 2013

The Top 10 Arguments Against Gay Marriage: All Receive Failing Grades! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/murray-lipp/the-top-10-arguments-agai_b_3337249.html , 28 Jul. 2013

What are some potential consequences of not legalizing gay marriage in the United States? http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-potential-consequences-of-not-legalizing-gay- marriage-in-the-United-States , 27 Mar. 2013
Supreme Court kicks gay marriage down the road again http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2015/01/09/Supreme-Court-kicks-gay-marriage-down-the-road-again/9571420834583/ , 9 Jan. 2015
Gay marriage appeals move issue back towards high court April 10, 2014 http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/09/supreme-court-gay-lesbian-marriage-appeals-utah/7437569/ , 10 April 2014

10 Reasons why Homosexual “Marriage” is Harmful and must be opposed http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/politically-incorrect/homosexuality/10-reasons-why-homosexual-marriage-is-harmful-and-must-be-opposed.html , 2014

Cited: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0210/Religious-groups-join- the-Utah-fight-against-gay-marriage , 10 Feb. 2014 History and Debate of Gay Marriage http://www.debate.org/gay-marriage/ , 2013 The Top 10 Arguments Against Gay Marriage: All Receive Failing Grades! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/murray-lipp/the-top-10-arguments-agai_b_3337249.html , 28 Jul. 2013 What are some potential consequences of not legalizing gay marriage in the United States? http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-potential-consequences-of-not-legalizing-gay- marriage-in-the-United-States , 27 Mar. 2013 Supreme Court kicks gay marriage down the road again http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2015/01/09/Supreme-Court-kicks-gay-marriage-down-the-road-again/9571420834583/ , 9 Jan. 2015 Gay marriage appeals move issue back towards high court April 10, 2014 http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/politically-incorrect/homosexuality/10-reasons-why-homosexual-marriage-is-harmful-and-must-be-opposed.html , 2014