...Should same-sex marriage be legalized federally with all states required to comply? As of Feb. 9, 2015, gay marriage has been legalized in 37 U.S states. Twenty-seven percent of Americans thought same-sex marriage should be legal in 1996, according to a Gallup Poll. Fifty-five percent of Americans think it should be legal in 2014, according to the same poll. Legalizing same-sex marriage could have benefits related to an economic boost and the sanctity of marriage. Another reason it should be legal is because marriage is not only a human right, but it is also a civil right. I don’t see why the other 13 states shouldn’t be required to comply with the legalization of same-sex marriage. Many argue that the legalization of same-sex marriage would require more government spending and less revenue, but that is incorrect. The country’s economy would benefit from the legalization of same-sex marriage. The legalization of same-sex marriage has been proven to provide an economic boost to those states and countries that have made same-sex marriage legal. Government revenue from marriage comes from marriage licenses, higher income taxes in some circumstances, and decreases in costs for state benefit programs. Allowing gay couples to marry provides businesses in this industry with a large and new market to access. Nearly $260 million was injected into the New York City economy in the year following the legalization of same-sex marriage. Gay marriage tourism benefits those states which...
Words: 788 - Pages: 4
...was unbelievable and disgusting. Same-sex marriage has been one of the most debated and controversial arguments in these recent years. Gay marriage is meaning that two same-sex people get married instead of a man and a woman gets married. As time goes by, more and more people are open-minded and accept gay marriage. However, there are still a number of people who cannot agree with gay marriage and even hate it. In the United States, some states have already legalized gay marriage but most states haven’t yet. Gay marriage should be legalized in the United States because homosexual love is a normal phenomenon, everyone has his own right to choose his marriage partner, and gay marriage legalization is good for the United States becoming a more democratic country. Traditional people think that a man should get married with a woman but should not get married with a man. Homosexual love is different from straight love. Because homosexual is different, people consider it a mental illness. Actually, homosexual love is a normal phenomenon. It has been proved that homosexual love is not mental illness. A gay’s gene distinguishes them from normal people’s gene and homosexual love is also related to gays’ growth environment (Whitley, 2011). At least five percent of people in this world are gay. How can people define that these five percent of people are abnormal and they have mental illness? Reviewing the long history, a lot of grand people are gay. For example, Socrates is homosexual. He...
Words: 1064 - Pages: 5
...Gay Marriage: The Complicated Moral Debate The debate on gay marriage is a complicated one. Many different emotions, ideas, and opinions are formed from the subject. There are some who believe that gay marriage is morally wrong, and damages the foundation of the traditional marriage. Andrew Sullivan, a gay rights activist, stated in his article Here Comes the Groom (New Republic, 2015): The argument that gay marriage would subtly undermine the unique legitimacy of straight marriage is based upon a fallacy…Gay marriage could only delegitimize straight marriage if it were a real alternative to it, and this is clearly not true. Gay marriage is not, in short, a denial of family values. It’s an extension of them. (p. 38) In the religious lens on the topic of gay marriage, traditional Christians believe that homosexuality is a sin, which is why it is usually condemned by the church (Dias, 2015). In addition, there are also people that believe gay marriage should not be a law recognized by the federal or state municipalities because they consider it an ‘alternative lifestyle’, a choice made rather than a biologically inherited trait (Rich, 2015). In the next few paragraphs, I will discuss the history of legalization of gay marriage in America, the religious communities’ outlook on the subject of gay marriage, how Hollywood has influenced the gradual acceptance of gay marriage by showing more homosexual people in media, and also discuss some of the psychological and sociological effects...
Words: 1449 - Pages: 6
...Gay Marriage debate Recently, gay marriage has become an issue of great concern all over the world. The question whether this marriage should be legalized has continued to raise heated-up debates in all social, religious and political arenas. The matter was has come into fresh discussion after the president of The United states of America passed a motion that allows gay marriage in the country. The following is an analysis of a debate that was held to discuss whether gay marriage should be legalized. Arguments supporting legalization of gay marriages If two people are in love, regardless of whether they are both male, both female, or of the opposite sex, it should be no one else’s business. The decision as to whether they are committing their lives to living together lies on them, and should not be jeopardized by the opinions, believes and feelings of others. They have a right to get married- if they so wish, as marriage is a personal decision, and one chooses the life he wants to live, as long as he/she does not compel others to follow that way, and as long as as the decision does not violate or endanger the rights of others (gaymarriage.procon.org). When same sex couples, such as gay couples, are denied the right to get into marriage, it sends the notion that it is acceptable to discriminate against gay people. It depicts such people as social and moral misfits, and thus exposes them to unfair treatment by the members of the society. As much as one may argue that the authorities...
Words: 930 - Pages: 4
...Luther King Jr. They say ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’, well, ‘marriage is in the psyche of the being’. There is no cut-and-dry definition of marriage but marriage-between-the-opposite-sex is the norm in most societies, the reason why same-sex marriage is not accepted in almost all countries in the world. Same-sex marriage is defined as a union between two people who are of the same gender or biological sex. Same-sex couples want to marry for all the same reasons as their opposite-sex counterparts. These reasons include: to publicly celebrate their commitment, because they are in love, and/or for the legal security and benefits of marriage. Married partners have immediate access to all relationship entitlements, protections and responsibilities. A marriage certificate also allows married partners to easily prove their legal rights if challenged, for example in emergency situations. The capacity to quickly and easily prove one’s relationship status is particularly important for same-sex partners because prejudice against same-sex relationships can mean legal rights are denied. Another practical benefit of marriage is that it is a widely recognized legal relationship. The pro legalization of same-sex marriage wants to promote equal rights and to prevent discrimination against the gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender. They believe that exclusion of same-sex attracted people from marriage also sends out the message that discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation...
Words: 736 - Pages: 3
...thirty-five-hundred years ago” (Haggerty & Lewis). Same sex marriage has been a hot topic in the United States for a very long time. This issue is highly important because marriage is a human right and it a basic moral that all should know. Many people are against gay marriage because according to many right wing conservatives being gay is a choice and that it is against what we learn from the bible. Same sex marriage should be legalized in every state in the United States because it is a basic human right, it shows family values and anti- discrimination, will increase children adoption rates and same sex marriage will also bring financial benefits. Gay marriage should be legal in the United States because it is a basic human right. Although conservatives will continue to debate the issues of gay rights and same sex marriages for years to come, there has been many improvements. Many individuals that oppose gay marriage will “come to understand the fundamental injustice of subjecting gay and lesbian Americans to their own form of Jim Crow rather than sharing in equal rights for all” (Lampo). There is no different from what this nation did to African Americans during the Civil rights movement, to what we are doing to same-sex couples today, not allowing them to get marries. Recognized federal civil rights law in the United States is grounded in the U.S. Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court. By this standard, marriage has long been established as a civil right. The operative...
Words: 2291 - Pages: 10
...Should Same-sex Marriages be Legalized? Kristina Linthicum PHI 200: Mind and Machine Instructor Michele Clearman-Warner May 5, 2011 Should Same-sex Marriages be Legalized? In recent news articles, it is being said that the legalization of same-sex marriages is imminent. But the biggest debate about the issue is should it be legalized? While there are many points that are for and against the issue, one thing remains. This is a legal issue on whether the law should be changed. When deciding whether a law should be changed, it should be viewed in a legal manner. Here is why same-sex marriages should be legalized in the United States of America. Part I: Thesis The United States of America was based on freedom. While each freedom was not spelled out in the constitution, it is something that can not be refuted. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines to marry as “to take a spouse or to unite in close and usually permanent relations” (Definition 2). While it is socially more accepted now than ever for same-sex couples to live together and even have children together, why are they being held back in receiving the freedom and benefits every opposite-sex couples receive? The right to be able to marry should be equal whether in same-sex couples or opposite-sex couples. Finkelstein (2011) points out that “marriage strengthens commitment between couples and therefore brings stability into the lives of those who enter in it”. If same-sex couples are able to cohabitate...
Words: 2266 - Pages: 10
...Should Gay Marriage be legalized? “What you saw was the people of New York having a debate, talking through these issues. It was contentious; it was emotional; but ultimately they made a decision to recognize civil marriage. And I think that's exactly how things should work,” said President Obama in the news conference in June 2011. In the view of the legalization of gay marriage in New York State, this issue has been debated and remains controversial. Gay marriage has been a major social issue that even President Obama puts an eye on it, as well as the gay communities, who support this action; yet, there are different religious parties who oppose this idea too. Gay marriage should absolutely be granted because of the following reasons: it benefits the gay individuals economically and psychologically, it defends the fundamental human rights of them, and it benefits to the society as a whole. The legalization of gay marriage can benefit the gay communities economically and psychologically because of the relationship is safeguarded. Firstly, a married couple can support each other’s medical expenses, make important decisions and be responsible to them. According to the article writer Ramon Johnson, gay couples are not allowed to interfere his or her personal decisions. In his article, he mentioned “ …same gender loving people are left without protection for their loved ones, such as the authority to make medical decisions, handle insurance claims, supervise estate...
Words: 1448 - Pages: 6
...The first article I chose to examine was the “In the Weeds” article by Amelia Thomson-Deveaux. The primary issue at hand in this article was the legalization of marijuana here in America. Washington and Colorado recently became the first two states to legalize the recreational use and sale of marijuana. This article touched on how those states came to legalize recreational use, what the future holds for these states since they’ve legalized marijuana, and how the other 48 states can and/or will go about legalizing marijuana. One stated premise I found in this article was that Washington passed a law legalizing marijuana before Colorado did in 1998. Another premise I found was that Washington legalized marijuana on December 6th 2012. An unstated premise would be that the author is a supporter of the legalization of marijuana and I gathered this from her tone in the article. In conclusion this article was written to educate others on how Colorado and Washington were able to legalize marijuana. It included information on how marijuana is taxed, who wrote up the bills that were made into laws and even information on how many other states have legalized marijuana. I believe that the author is a supporter of the legalization of marijuana based on her tone in the article. I believe that the legalization of marijuana could help America a lot especially when it comes to reducing the national deficit. As a country we continue spending and giving money we don’t have to other...
Words: 725 - Pages: 3
...Gay Marriage “I support gay marriage. I believe they have a right to be as miserable as the rest of us,” says country singer Kinky Friedman (Friedman). Gay marriage has been one of the most talked about and highly debated topics over the past decade fight alongside legalization of marijuana and abortion. Most of the issues however with gay marriage simply come to down to religion and its belief that marriage is something solely ordained by God. Marriage is anything but a restricted privilege of the religious, and the legalization of gay marriages would greatly help this country. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, marriage is the “the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law," and “the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage (Merriam-Webster).” What’s ironic here is that the world’s foremost dictionary defines marriage as the same both for hetero and homosexual couples, and society who uses that same dictionary to find a definition for everything else in the world simply ignores that entry. See one of the biggest problems and fallacies in a gay marriage debate is that marriage does not just come from religious backgrounds. According to a publication from “The Week,” “Pair-bonding began in the Stone Age as a way of organizing and controlling sexual conduct and providing a stable structure for child-rearing and the...
Words: 1717 - Pages: 7
...Started from the Bottom Now It’s Almost Here Same-sex marriage has been an ongoing issue for quite some time in the United States and it has existed throughout all of history; it has gone on a roller coaster of decisions just in the past fifteen years. The United States has not always been in favor of same-sex marriage, however, there are regions within the US, such as Massachusetts, that did get off of the path of the rest of the country and made their own laws about granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples. “Since 2001, ten countries and other nation-states have begun to legally formalize same-sex marriages, including Canada, Spain, and some regions within the United States” (Reidel 275). With the support of gay marriage from President Barack Obama, a few other states were in support also. The support of same-sex marriage comes from the belief that it would better our society and that it is an equal right amongst couples. Despite the factual evidence, there are still many people who believe that same-sex marriage would harm our society, but there is always an argument against that. The legalization of gay marriage would better our society and there are many sources and an ample amount of research to prove that. Same-sex marriage should be an equal right. As African-Americans once fought for their freedom, women once fought for their right to vote, now homosexuals are fighting for their right to marry. The constitution says that everyone has a right to liberty...
Words: 2900 - Pages: 12
...homosexual? What is homosexual marriage? Homosexual is defined as same-sex; meaning ‘sexually attracted only to people of the same-sex as oneself’ (Oxford Dictionary, 2000, p. 883). Homosexual marriage is between two same-sex partners’ also known as same-sex marriage. Homosexual marriage is illegal in some countries and states on a decade of a century ago. The government and the society’s point of view towards the marriage institution should only consist of a man and a woman. The trend of homosexual couples are increasingly gaining approved in other countries but they are still not been allowed to marry. However, in 2004, Massachusetts which is a part of the America is the first state that was allowed same-sex couples to marry (Vestal, 2009). Same-sex marriage was gradually permitted in some countries. According to the Confessore and Barbaro (2011), New York has the highest rate where gay and lesbian couples get married. Due to this, it is obvious that homosexual couples wish that their relationship can be accepted by the society. Nowadays, majority of the people have no problem towards the issue of homosexuality. According to a questionnaire result that was stated in the Beijing News, 100 percent out of 83 percent of the respondents born in 1980 years to 1990 years did not disagree of homosexuality (The Star, 2012, p. 39). The purpose of this paper is to point out that homosexual couples have their rights to marry as legalizing homosexual marriage can also bring a multitude advantages...
Words: 3702 - Pages: 15
...Anh Huynh – Brett Lavigna Afiwa Tapoyo Kay Dishner English 1302.006 1 February 2013 Homosexual marriage Back in the time, homosexuality was viewed as very negative and people did not even talk about that. However, nowadays it has changed and homosexuality has become more socially accepted. Getting to that point people believe that same-sex marriage should be legalized. Because some people have still not accepted this practice, it has created a big controversial issue. People have conflicting opinions about homosexuality in regards of nature, equal rights, and impacts over the population. Being homosexual for most people are not a choice, it comes from genetic characteristics. There is a twin research shows that if one identical twin is gay, the other twin is also likely to be gay. Moreover, if in the family have people are gays or lesbians, it will be high percent for a baby to homosexual characteristics. This means that genes are important in deciding sexual orientation (Greg). However, somebody think it is not normal and different from law of nature. If we are straight, it does not mean we assume everybody like us; because everybody is not the same. Nevertheless, even if homosexuality seems to be genetic for some, the nature has made women and men predisposed to be together. The law of the nature wants for every species to form couples only between male and female. Even the shape of genitals proves that. A woman’s vagina has a hollow shape, in sort that the penis which...
Words: 1240 - Pages: 5
...(above)). A. Thesis Statement: Legalization of same-sex marriage is the result of justice with American bill of rights so it should be protected as a law. B. Arguments- 1. Same-sex marriage is protected from protest assert banning even though freedom of speech from first amendment. 2. Same-sex marriage is protected from homophobic crimes. 3. Same-sex marriage is the result of realization a just society based on bill of rights. II. (Argument 1) – Same-sex marriage is protected from protest assert banning even though freedom of speech from first amendment. A. First amendment provides rights for freedom of speech. 1. First amendment...
Words: 728 - Pages: 3
...Why Same-Sex Marriages Shall Be Legalized Paul Elander Comp II Susan Cochran 3/15/2013 Abstract The amount of support that is currently being gained for the movement of same sex-marriages within the United States as well as throughout the world is stupendous. Not only do influential political figures agree but also the medical and psychological fields are beginning to “see the light” about homosexuality. The impact of denying same-sex marriages not only violates their civil liberties but also denies them the benefits in which they normally would be entitled with the same equality and fairness of their heterosexual counterparts. Americans pride themselves with the freedom, liberty and happiness to pursue their dreams and ambitions; the same can be said for those who are homosexuals, since they are Americans as well In the United States, several states recognize same-sex marriages with varying degrees of recognition and conditions surrounding the issue. In total, same-sex marriages account for 15.7% of the population in the United States. Advocates of same sex marriage have grown over the years and have received support from many people, even from current President Barack Obama who publicly acknowledged his support for the legalization of same-sex marriage (Klein, 2012). Many arguments have been put forth for and against same-sex marriage and it is evident that supporters of gay marriage are gaining stronger grounds. Firstly, advocates state that the right to marry...
Words: 568 - Pages: 3
