***No copies or use of this paper can occur without getting  my consent***
Love is What Matters

The issue of gay marriage has been discussed and debated for many years in America. Gay marriage is currently illegal in most states of the United States of America. People say that allowing gay marriage to be legal would hurt how marriage is seen. They say this even when the divorce rate in America is already over 50% between heterosexual couples (Kellard). How marriage is defined has been changed numerous times throughout history, what is so wrong about changing it once more to fit this time period? People say that gay marriage is wrong, but divorce is wrong too. During previous centuries in it was wrong for poor to marry the rich and vice versa. Problems can be found in every type of relationship so why focus on the little things that add up to nothing. Gay marriage should be legalized because homosexuals want to get married for the same reasons as heterosexual couples, the separation of church and state should be enforced, and it is unconstitutional to prohibit gay marriage. 

 

Gay marriage should be allowed because most people want to get married to his/her love for the same reason, because they love his/her partner. Love is not defined as between only a man and a woman, then why is marriage seen as only between a man and a woman.  As Ralph Wedgwood argues marriage strengthens a relationship and takes it to a deeper level than if the couple remains domestic partners (Wedgwood).  Wedgwood states many studies show that domestic partnerships are less effective than a normal binding marriage (Wedgwood). Marriage is a commitment and it shows that the person wants to be with the person he/she loves until the day one of them dies. While in a domestic partnership the partners are living together as if they are married, but the couples do not have the binding commit of marriage in their relationship. People argue gay relationships are fine, but the homosexual couples should not be allowed to get married. An easier and more realistic way to see this view would be if a child wants a sandwich but you only give them the bread. Love involves commit, and marriage is part of the commit, which takes a relationship to the next level. 

Homosexuals also get married because they want the legal rights and benefits that come a long with marriage. One example of how homosexuals do not get the same rights as other couples would be survivor rights (Sprigg). . Heterosexual couples which are married have rights to receive social security survivor benefits (Sprigg). Their benefits would be given to a person if/when his/her spouse died so that him/her are not greatly affected economically. If a person is not legally married to his/her spouse then he/she do not receive these rights.  Also, another example of a right which goes along with marriage is the right to see and know about his/her partner's health when his/her partner is sick or after he/she had been hurt or injured ( Sprigg) Another issue which goes along with rights is visiting rights if the person’s partner becomes ill or is in the hospital. When you are married, the hospital will tell you what has happened and things about what is going on if you are married to the person legally, while if you are not legally married they will not even allow you to visit in some cases.  This means that even if the person's partner was on his/her death bed, unless they had medical power of attorney  for his/her partner he/she would not be allowed to his/her partner. He/she would never be able to say goodbye, comfort one and another, or be able to have a say in what happens if these rights are not given. Legal marriage is needed so that they do have the rights that they deserve and need to be able to be in a committed and life-long relationship.

Gay marriage should also be permitted because prohibiting it is unconstitutional. In the Constitution  of the United States of America it states that there is a separation of church and state and the two will never be combined (Kellard). The federal government will not pass a law permitting gay marriage; even when the only place they would be get the view that gay marriage is wrong is from religions. Prohibiting gay marriage is also a severe violation of the freedom of religion (Kellard). Since the laws of whether gay marriage is legal or illegal are being passed off to religion, it is a violation of the freedom of religion. It is a violation of the freedom of religion because in America a person has a choice of his/her own views on faith, so prohibiting gay marriage would be denying them the right of that freedom of religion since the laws are based off of religious background (Kellard). The only place where the law makers are getting the viewpoint that gay marriage is wrong is different religions (Kellard). The church defines marriage as a commit between two people of the opposite sex joining together in a partnership in which God is involved (Kellard).  This shows that it is the church who has this view that marriage should only be of the opposite sex, not the government. There is supposed to be separation of church and state, but allowing the church's definition of marriage to be effecting policies and laws from being passed is breaking the rule of separation of church and state. America was founded on the belief that all people have the right to freedom, and now America wants to allow the freedom of marriage for homosexuals.

Passing laws against gay marriage is unconstitutional and even breaks one of the amendments. One reason why gay marriage should also be legalized is because it is unconstitutional to prohibit gay marriage (Kellard). In the Constitution of the United States of America it states that all are equal (Kellard). Since this is written in the Constitution it means that all people, whether they are gay or straight should have equal rights and be seen equally. This is being broken currently because homosexuals do not have the equal right of marriage, hence breaking the legal document (Kellard). Prohibiting gay marriage is also against one of the Amendments (Kellard). The 14th Amendment states that no state will make or enforce any laws that take away the privileges or immunities of citizens or any laws that deprive them of life, liberty, or property (Kellard). This Amendment backs up the right to equality and equal rights for all. Since laws prohibiting gay marriage take away the privileges of getting married this Amendment prohibits gay marriage from being illegal.  The Amendments were made to be followed and practiced and no one or place can only choose what rules and regulations they want to follow, all must be used to make society just and fair. 

There are many key points to why gay marriage should be legal; although, there are also many arguments being made about why gay marriage should be illegal. One reason many people say that gay marriage should be illegal is because it is immoral (Skrable). Saying that it is immoral is an invalid reason for not allowing people of the same-sex to get married because again this violates separation of church and state.   Although, many dominations view gay marriage as inmoral, some churches are fine with it and accept it. It all depends on what religion the view is from.  All religions should be allowed to make their own choice on what is acceptable in their faith; since there is separation of church and state it should not dictate the rights of a couple to get married (Sprigg). Marriage is not always related to religion and is something that can occur in or out of the church (Sprigg).  Also, some faiths accept gay marriage while others do not; laws should not be only for the part that does not accept gay marriage (Sprigg).

People also argue gay marriage should not be allowed because it supports people being anti-procreation (Skrable). Being "anti-procreation" means that you are not supporting producing your own children (Skrable). Having children is a difficult choice, a great responsibility, and a life-time commit to the couple in the relationship. Many straight couples chose to not have children and it is honestly a personal choice for the couple whether they want to have children or not.  Now-a-days many gay couples are finding ways to have their own children or they adopt.  Currently in most adoption agencies, one third of the adoptions are with homosexual couples (Skrable). These couples take the child out of foster care and sometimes dangerous situations and into a loving and caring home. Having children is not a requirement of marriage. Also, many homosexual couples adopt and give children without parents a loving and caring home. Many couples have a child through the new advances in science and other medical methods (Wedgwood). People aruge that gay marriage supports anti-procreation, but having children is not the reason of marriage so it should not be a reason why same-sex couples can not get married. 

There are many arguments on topic of whether gay marriage should be legal or illegal, but overall is not love just love no matter who a person loves? Stand up for the right of love, stand up for the people who have been hidden for so long. If no one took a stand for the civil rights movement it would never had been successful. Join together and show the law makers and people of America that gay marriage is alright because it is what is in the heart that matters. Let us go back to the true values of America and let equality occur for all people, let love be equal, and let everyone show how much love matters in a world were where sometimes it is forgotten. Does not the world need more loving relationships with all the crazy and unusual things that are occurring in the world now?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

 

Kellard, James. "Gay Marriage Should Be Legal." Gay Marriage. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit:  Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 14 Nov. 2012.

 

Skrable, Burman. "Society Should Not Allow Same-Sex Marriage." Homosexuality. Ed. Mary E.  Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999: 169-175. Print. 

 

Sprigg, Peter. "Gay Marriage Should Not Be Legal". Gay Marriage. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit:Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. 

 

Wedgwood, Ralph. "Society Should Allow Same-Sex Marriage." Homosexuality. Ed. Mary E. Williams.  San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999: 165-168. Print.