...Team Debate Paper Stacie Hearne, Manita Johnson, Jessica Lightfoot, and Roy Tucker BCOM/275 October 4, 2012 Kwanis Nelson Debate Team Paper “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Gay marriage has become one of the hottest issues in politics. Supporters of gay marriage have compared their struggle for equality to an era when African- Americans were denied their right to vote, some have even argued that to be denied of your right to marry is also a direct violation of your civil rights. Non supporters of gay marriage beliefs are based more from a religious stand point as well personal values. With homosexuality being seen by a vast majority as being immoral and sinful, the biggest argument to date is that many people feel by allowing gay marriage to take place that this will weaken the institution of marriage and family values. On September 21, 1996 both houses of Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act or DOMA a federal law which defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. This law, signed by then President Bill Clinton denies the rights of same-sex couples to marry. Not only does this law prevent same-sex couples to marry, it also denies these men and women certain monetary benefits such as public employee benefits, social security survivors...
Words: 2591 - Pages: 11
...Argument 1. ; Newspaper Utah vs. Gay Marriage Derek Kitchen, left, and his partner, Moudi Sbeity, were one of three couples who sued the state. Credit Rick Bowmer/Associated Press Derek Kitchen, left, and his partner, Moudi Sbeity, were one of three couples who sued the state. Credit Rick Bowmer/Associated Press Gay marriage/rights have been an ongoing issue for many years. For me personally it is not an issue at all. Ever since I was a child I’ve had an Aunt that has been a lesbian, even though I never knew until I was in my late teens and early twenties. It didn’t make me feel any different about her. And now, I have many friends that are from all aspects of the LGBT society. (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual) I am a straight male, I have a girlfriend, and we have a child on the way. I am very happy to be straight, and I am also very happy to see my friends that are gay be happy together as well. This debate is one that will likely go on for a long time. Mostly the argument comes down to an opinion debate as well. It has been continually quashed in many political areas and in religious communities. A quote from a Denver reporter in the New York Times from a judge that upheld the rights of Gay unions, “To claim that marriage, by definition, excludes certain couples is simply to insist that those couples may not marry because they have historically been denied the right to do so,” the judges wrote. “One might just as easily have argued that interracial couples are by...
Words: 613 - Pages: 3
...for several years now in Canada. No societies in these two countries have collapsed nor are divorce rates rising, which are common accusations (Eskridge). If Denmark has had a successful twenty years of same-sex marriage without the fall of their civilization, I doubt the societies in the United States will breakdown if same-sex couples get married. However, that doesn't stop the arguments from being made. So, the only thing someone has to do to cancel out a logical argument is to introduce fear. Nearly forty-six percent of people in the U.S. oppose gay marriage, but fifty-eight percent of people are supportive of gay rights (“Most Say Homosexuality Should be Accepted by Society”). This means that many of the same people who are passionately in favor of gay rights oppose same-sex marriage. This may be because a majority of the population doesn’t understand what homosexuality really is. There are also a lot of stereotypes about gay...
Words: 2497 - Pages: 10
...The two project implicit demonstration tests I completed was skin-tone (light skin - dark skin IAT), it entails the ability to recognize light and dark-skinned faces. The test often reveals an automatic preference for light-skin relative to dark-skin. My second demonstration test was sexuality (gay-straight IAT), it entails the ability to distinguish words and symbols representing gay and straight people. The test reveals an automatic preference for straight people relative to gay people (Project Implicit, 2011). Before taking the skin-tone test, I thought I would favour the lighter skin-tone over then darker skin-tone, because of my cultural preference to lighter tones. For instance, I grow up in the Caribbean and a lighter skin-tone is highly praised. If you asked me before I took the test, I would have said I don’t have a preference and skin-tone shouldn’t matter. Nevertheless, I thought my cultural background might influence my results of lighter skin-tone being preferable. Regarding the gay-straight test, I would once more state that I don’t have a preference because I have always thought a homosexual should have the right to marry and have the same privileges as a heterosexual, legal or otherwise. Having close family and friends that fight for their rights to be with their loved ones,...
Words: 655 - Pages: 3
...accurate information to create an educated and involved society. Media’s representations impact our society’s perception and shared reality. The way media represents a certain topic creates a public perception. Because of media framing, they can show us certain sides of an issue or shine a light on one perspective while effectively dimming the light on another. Because of this, we create perceptions based off of information that may not be whole. With these perceptions, we begin to construct a social reality. Once this reality is created, it is difficult to change it even if we find contradicting information. Because of these reasons, the way media represents information is crucial. The issue that will be discussed in this paper is that of gay marriage, stereotypes of homosexuals, and the scientific side of homosexuality. The way media has represented this topic over the past 30 years has varied immensely. We’ve come a long way over the past couple decades and homosexuality is now widely discussed in all forms of media including news, television, advertisements, movies, books, magazines and politics. It is important to close the gaps between the perception, the reality, and the representation of the way media portrays homosexuality. Identifying differences between the representations of homosexuality decades ago compared with now will provide necessary information to form an educated and well-rounded opinion on this issue. This issue is important to our...
Words: 4875 - Pages: 20
...Gay marriage is a controversial topic in society today. Most Americans do not agree with same sex marriage because of religious beliefs. What they fail to realize is that banning gay marriage will go against the United States Declaration of Independence well known phrase, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. Homosexuals have nothing to do with heterosexuals. The homosexual community harms and destructs nobody and no one. That being said, people should not be so hostile against same sex marriage. Americans should have their own rights to enjoy life with their significant other, whether that being with the same sex or not. Society today should learn how to respect other peoples choice of style and preference. Marriage itself is between two people. Therefore, does it matter if it’s with the same sex? People should not be judged based off of their sexual orientation, but by the content of their character. Happiness should not be determined by others nor by the government. When viewed by others people should not see black or white, gay or straight. As a community, we...
Words: 1327 - Pages: 6
...| Gender and Sexuality Essay | ETH 125 | | Codi Pragacz | 11/15/2012 | | Women and members of the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender) community have had many of the same struggles throughout history. Each group has had rights taken away, progresses in liberations for their individual groups, as well as setbacks for their groups. GLBT people have been noticed as their own group for a shorter amount of time than women groups have but are none the less important. It is generally seen that the gay rights movement that we currently see was started up in the 1980’s because of the emergence of aides and it was an international conclusion that aides was a disease brought about by the homosexual community. The activists involved in defending the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities united to form a stronger front against the discrimination they faced. Traditionally the more masculine men have been seen as a more rough, emotionally disconnected and aggressive image whereas femininity has been viewed more as timid, overly sensitive, submissive, and weak. Throughout history women have taken the necessary steps to fight this image and have become seen as more assertive, independent and ambitious. While conversely today it is more acceptable for men to be more emotionally in tune, more concerned with personal appearance, and more willing to be a partner to rather than in charge of their female counter parts. Of course, there are certain people...
Words: 804 - Pages: 4
...Gay Marriage Essay Our country was founded on the idea of federalism, which is a term used to describe a system of government divided between a central authority and regional governments (state governments). These two levels of government were originally intended to establish a strong national government, but yet also to allow the people under that government to participate in it. While on this topic, the question arises of which level it should’ve been legalized on, if it was. From my standpoint I would say the states legislatures should’ve had to legalize it. Instead of giving my reasoning for that I’ll first give examples for what would happen if you did it through the other forms of government. If gay marriage was legalized by Congress, it would’ve had to been amended to the bill of rights, which needs a 2/3 vote in house and senate. Even that most people would be okay with because at least the people they voted in will get to represent them. Next, if the state legislatures would’ve lad to legalized individually by state, that would be more fair for both gays and heterosexuals, because the majority of people in that state would determine if it was legalized or not. Lastly, if the courts were to legalize it, which the Supreme Court did through their ruling in the Obergefell vs. Hodges case, it would’ve caused a lot of debate. The reason this is a last resort option I feel of legalizing gay marriage is because first of all it has no involvement of the people into the nationwide...
Words: 1022 - Pages: 5
...This article was downloaded by: [University of California Santa Barbara] On: 13 April 2012, At: 11:44 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/gred20 Scared Straight: Hip-Hop, Outing, and the Pedagogy of Queerness Marc Lamont Hill Available online: 20 Jan 2009 To cite this article: Marc Lamont Hill (2009): Scared Straight: Hip-Hop, Outing, and the Pedagogy of Queerness, Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies, 31:1, 29-54 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10714410802629235 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/termsand-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions...
Words: 11001 - Pages: 45
...Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy DeVry University Online During a time of need and desperation, when another person jumped to your aid and helped you out, did you stop to think about what their sexual preference was and if so would it have mattered to you? Well if you are in one of the United States Military branches, it is almost guaranteed to have come up and it has caused enough of an issue, commotion and publicity that the President of the United States had to step in and put into place a policy for what is the beginning of a giant human rights and equality motion in history. Even in this new century, who you choose to have sex with or love, still appears to be an issue for many people. Some even know that this person may one day save your life and have your back and it’s still an issue for some. The struggles of discrimination and inequality were all too frequent in the lives of homosexuals who were serving or trying to serve in the United States Military started to catch attention with the media and caught the attention by many who had voices to make a difference for equality. During the civil rights movement in the 1960’s, homosexuality wasn’t a right that was openly fought for. Albeit that today, most people view the right to love whom they choose as a civil, and human right. Many people believe that a relationship should be between a man and a woman and therefore the rights of the homosexual community were not fought over in any of the early civil rights movements...
Words: 3782 - Pages: 16
...realities we live in. Postmodernism is a analytical theory that is used to compare and evaluate articles, novels, and other literary sources. For instance, the classification of gay vs. straight with Arjie and his family is a direct example of postmodernism in the novel, Funny Boy. In similarity, Sinhalese vs. Tamil is another comparison that represents the anger of Ammachi towards Anil. Funny Boy follows a protagonist, Arjie, who has yet to find his true identity but continues to build different relationships with different characters. The story elaborates on the civil war between the Tamil and the Sinhalese which has a deep connection with the different relationships created throughout the story. These relationships; gay and straight, Tamil and Sinhalese, old and youth are what could be analyzed with the literary device, postmodernism. In the novel, Arjie begins narrating the story as a young Tamil boy who finds himself different from his entire family and his friends. He finds himself connected to a different side of sexuality as he plays a childish game called “bride-bride”. For many years he constantly volunteered to play the role of the female character even though male roles were still available. While he does this, he explores life through a female perspective and is soon titled as “funny” referring to gay. His parents are extremely aggravated and try to avoid their family reputation from being disgraced. In order to save it, they forcefully make Arjie play cricket with his...
Words: 1332 - Pages: 6
...Amy Montelongo Professor Merritt English 1302 April 20, 2014 An Analysis of the Different Effects of Sexual Orientation Issues The authors of, Mental Health of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth and Young Adults: Differential Effects of Age, Gender, Religiosity, and Sexual Orientation, explain the issues that adolescents, of a different sexual orientation, face. Problems have occurred in LGBT youth community from depression, suicide, to substance abuse since the nineteen-ninety. All these illnesses are caused by distress from the homophobic society. LGBT ,Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, youths struggle with acceptance of their sexuality from friends and friends, school, society, violence, the work force, religion, suicide. The choice of turning all those subjects away has been a solution to many of the cases on these people. Depending on the family of the individual, they may be turned down for the rest of their lives or given the chance to still be involved with them. It all depends on whether the family is traditional. Tradition is when all the sons, daughters, aunts, and uncles that have a straight orientation. Everyday Life The LGBT community faces many challenges in their everyday life like voting, sexual talks, and segregation. In the early nineteen hundreds, the people who campaigned for elections did not let the LGBT community vote because they did to feel that they were equal to the heterosexual man. Equality is what everyone wants like the next guy but do...
Words: 2103 - Pages: 9
...that if no one would figure who did this to Patrick she would, which she mentions “I’d look straight into the ugliness and find who hurt him, and when I did, I’d yell it from the mountaintop” (Myracle 21). Cat is very shy in the beginning but she eventually over comes it when she has to look for clues and talk to people she doesn’t want to look at. An example of this is when Cat has to go and ask Tommy the boy who raped her years ago about what happened the night Patrick got attacked. When Cat...
Words: 1176 - Pages: 5
...abortion, prostitution, and homosexuality. Same sex marriage has been debated in various countries for many years. This issue brings wide concern to moral and human rights. In earlier times, same-sex marriages were evidential tolerated in parts of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt as shown in artifacts found. The Western world was known for being very accepting of same-sex relationships and unions, which is revealed in Greek paintings. People who are against gay marriage primarily focus on the moral aspect of gay marriage. Supporters of gay marriage think about same-sex couples and the positive effects it can have on them and our society. Gay marriage should be legalized in all states because it is their civil right, it increases family value which leads to an increasing rate in adoption, and same sex marriages stimulate the economy through financial increase. People who are non-supporters of gay marriage believe it goes against the moral and definition of marriage. In Market Watch magazine (2008), many people believe that gay marriages destroy the value of family and tradition. Furthermore, same sex marriage completely goes against major religions such as Catholicism and Islam. However, people do not realize that civil and religious marriages are distinct and separated. Joe Solmoneses, the president of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, states that marriage is not only an important religious meaning but it is also a legal contract. This may be true but there are many couples...
Words: 1232 - Pages: 5
...102-02 Gay rights and Religion I choose to do my paper on gay rights and religion. I will be talking about Amendment 14. States that support gay marriage. Religious rights versus gay rights. Gay rights and religious freedom. Gay discrimination. Gay rights and the Constitution. In February of 2004 San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom ordered the city clerk to issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples. The issue that had simmered in the background for years was moved toward the front of the nation's political agenda. Supporters of the more traditional conceptions of marriage fought Newsom in the courts. When they failed there they were placed on California's 2008 ballot that would restrict marriage to heterosexual couples only. Before the 2008 election Massachusetts and Connecticut had already legalized same-sex marriage. Soon after California's vote, Vermont and Iowa joined the ranks states that allow gay couples to marry. While many supporters of gay marriage have focused on winning state approval through the political process by passing new laws to legalize the practice. That strategy has succeeded but only in New England. In the other states, gay marriage has been established only through the courts. While most of the legal fighting over gay marriage has unfolded in the various state courts, many gay-rights advocates suggest that soon the battle needs to be taken to the next level and fought out in the federal courts. Total victory will come only, when gays and...
Words: 2495 - Pages: 10
