Gay Marriage Essay, Research Paper
Gay Marriage Just about anyone would tell you they’re in favor of equal rights for homosexuals. Just name the situation, and ask. They’ll all say, yes, gays should have the same rights in housing, jobs, public accommodations, equal access to government benefits, and equal protection of the law. The fact is, nearly three people in four in the U.S. oppose gay marriage, almost the same proportion as are otherwise supportive of gay rights. This means that many of the same people who are even passionately in favor of gay rights oppose gays in this one issue. Of course, there are a lot of reasons being offered these days for opposing gay marriage, and they are usually variations on a few well-established themes. I believe there are a lot of stereotypes about gay relationships, even a great deal of misunderstanding of what marriage itself is all about. First, lets discuss what gay relationships are really all about. The stereotype claims that gays are unrestricted, unable to form long lasting, committed relationships. But the important fact to note is that just like in straight society, such relationships also exist. The fact is, gays, just like the rest of the people in the straight society, can have long lasting relationships. The values that such gay couples exhibit in their daily lives are often indistinguishable from those of their straight neighbors. They’re loyal to their mates, are monogamous, devoted partners. Many of the reasons offered for opposing gay marriage are based on the assumption that gays have a choice in who they can feel attracted to, and the reality is quite different. Many people actually believe that gays could simply choose to be heterosexual if they wished. But the reality is that very few have choices. Any more than a few heterosexuals could choose which sex to find themselves attracted to. Many people argued that gay relationships are immoral. Many individuals with religious backgrounds might agree with that. But somehow I always thought that freedom of religion implied the right to freedom from religion as well. The Bible has absolutely no standing in American law. Not all world religions have a problem with homosexuality. Buddhism, for example, celebrates gay relationships freely and would like to have the authority to make them legal marriages. In that sense, religious freedom is being infringed. If we believe in religious freedom, then the opposition to gay marriage is based on religious arguments is reason to discount this argument. Another reason why people are so against gay marriage is because they believe that marriage is for procreation. The proponents of that argument are really hard pressed to explain why, if that’s the case that infertile couples are allowed to marry. I feel that such an argument fails to persuade based on the marriages society does allow routinely, without even a second thought. Also, people might feel that same-sex couples aren’t the right environments for raising children. The fact to that claim is that many gay couples raise children and adopted their own from failed attempts at heterosexual marriages. Many scientific studies have shown that the outcomes of the children raised in the homes of gay and lesbian couples are just as good as those of straight couples. The differences have been shown again and again to be insignificant. Psychologists tell us that what
makes the difference is the love of the parents, not their gender. The studies are very clear about that. Gays are as capable of loving children as fully as anyone else. Additionally, many people continue to believe that homosexuality is about nothing but sex, considering it to be merely a sexual perversion. The reality is that homosexuality is multidimensional, and is much more about love and affection than it is about sex. Gay relationships are based on mutual attraction, love, and affection. Sex is a means of expressing that love, just the same as it is for heterosexuals. Being gay is much more profound than simply a sexual relationship. Being gay is part of that person’s core identity. I believe that the real reason behind the so-called reasoning of opposing individuals are that they are just not comfortable with the idea of gay marriage and the thought of gay sex is repulsive. The fact the people aren’t comfortable with the idea began primarily from the fact that for many years, society has promoted the idea that a marriage between members of the same sex is ridiculous, mainly because of the objections raised above. But if those objections don’t make sense, neither does the idea that gay marriage is necessarily ridiculous. Society has long recognized that allowing civil rights to certain groups may offend the majority. But that is why constitutional government was established. Gay marriage issues are matters that have become important in state laws over the years. In many ways it excluded homosexuals from the rights that legally married couples enjoy and consider their rights. This is why we say it is very much a civil rights issue. It has nothing to do with who performs the ceremony or whether an announcement is accepted for publication in the newspaper. It is not a matter of “special rights” to ask for the same rights that other couples enjoy by law. It will come as some surprise to a lot of heterosexuals to find out that a lot of gay people thought of heterosexual sex is repulsive. But does that mean the discomfort of some gays to heterosexual couples should be a reason to deny heterosexual the right to marry? I don’t think so, even though the thought of a man kissing a woman is rather repulsive to many homosexuals. I feel that the heterosexual individuals should learn to do perception checking. They should learn to think in other people’s point a view rather being stuck to think only for their own goods. As we have seen, the arguments against gay marriage don’t hold up to close analysis. Neither the arguments traditionally raised nor the real feelings of the opponents make much sense when held up to reasoning. Let’s get over our dislike to what we oppose for silly, irrational reasons, based on ignorance and faulty assumptions, and make ours a more just and honorable society.