Gay+Marriage

Gay Rights America is known for its freedom and equal rights for all, but by outlawing same sex marriage America isn’t really giving equal rights to everyone. According to the 14th Amendment, all citizens of the US have equal rights and protection under our laws. By denying gay couples the right to marry the US is breaking its own 14th Amendment and going against one of the most fundamental policies in America. By not giving gays the same rights as every other citizen, the US is being discriminatory towards gay citizens.

Throughout history there have been patterns of acceptance and repression of open homosexuality in society. At certain points in time homosexuality has actually been illegal in certain countries. Up until the 1970s homosexuality was considered a mental disorder. In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association took homosexuality off of their list of mental disorders, but they still considered it a gender identity disorder (U*X*L). By saying this they implied that men and women were healthy as long as they behaved according to their respective gender stereotypes. Through gay studies in the 80s it was said that sexual orientation is not biologically determined. More recent studies have found proof to say otherwise.

Many arguments against gay marriage are based only on religious beliefs. Religious arguments shouldn’t be valid at all against gay marriage. We have a separation of church and state, and it should be kept that way. If priests have problems with gay couples being married in their churches, then that’s fine. But who are they to say that gay couples can’t get married at city hall?

Believe it or not, America’s homophobia is actually a huge danger to national security. From 1993-2003 the United States spent about $200 million to recruit and train troops to replace the 10 thousand troops discharged for being openly gay (Bond). This was due to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which only allowed gays to serve in the military if they kept their sexual orientation hidden. The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was put into place by the Clinton administration, and was only repealed in 2010.

Another argument against gay marriage is that marriage must remain between a man and a woman only, because we need to encourage childbearing and ensure the future of the human race. If this were really a valid argument that would mean that couples who are unable to have children would also be banned from marrying. “ …There's not a couple married anywhere, now or at any time in the past, who was asked if they would have children to prove they could procreate before their marriage license was issued,” (Bond). If not all couples can or want to have children, then it really has no effect that gay couples can’t reproduce.

The National Cancer Institute of Biochemistry has found evidence that homosexuality may be inherited, and studies at the National Institute of Health found evidence that homosexuality is carried in DNA ( Grizzard). These studies suggest that sexual orientation is inborn, not chosen. This brings me to the next point; how exactly can we be discriminating against gay people because of something that they didn’t even choose? It’s completely unfair to do this, and in my opinion it’s comparable to discriminating against African Americans because of the color of their skin, something that they were born with, something that they couldn’t help even if they wanted to. We abolished discrimination laws with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, so why are we still practicing this form of discrimination in the United States? Gay rights really aren’t any different than civil rights in general.

Many Americans think that civil unions are a good alternative to legalizing gay marriage, when really this excludes them from many rights that married couples have. This also makes it harder for same sex couples to adopt children. As of 2007, five states had laws that made it illegal for gay couples to adopt children (U*X*L). “ There are more than a million children being raised today in America by gay and lesbian parents—all of them disadvantaged by the inability of their parents to have the benefits and legal protections that marriage affords,” (Bond). With no solid reason for these exclusions, these laws are clearly discriminating against same sex couples.

Gay marriage should be legal because every citizen of the US is entitled to equal rights. By denying them the right to marry whomever they chose, we are practicing a form of discrimination. This is a serious issue in the United States, and the laws banning gay marriage should be abolished to really give everyone the equality that they deserve.

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"Gay Liberation Movement." //U*X*L Encyclopedia of U.S. History//. Sonia Benson, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. Ed. Lawrence W. Baker and Sarah Hermsen. Vol. 3. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 622-625. //Gale Student Resources In Context//. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.

"Gay Rights." //Gale Student Resources in Context//. Detroit: Gale, 2010. //Gale Student Resources In Context//. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.

Grizzard, Carol, and Tandy McConnell. "Homosexuality and the Churches (1990s)." //American Decades//: //1990-1999//. Ed. Tandy McConnell. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. //Gale Student Resources In Context//. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.

Grossman, Andrew. "Gay Studies." //New Dictionary of the History of Ideas//. Ed. Maryanne Cline Horowitz. Vol. 3. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005. 866-870. //Gale Student Resources In Context//. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.

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Wilson, John Scott. "Churches and Homosexuality (1970s)." //American Decades//. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Detroit: Gale, 2003. //Gale Student Resources In Context//. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.