I am not even sure why this is a topic... do we really even have to put some thought on why homosexuals have the right to be married? Are we really that close minded that we won't allow someone to marry the individual they love? I really thought marriage was about "love", but I guess you "believers" have the right to impose your own morality on the rest of the people. I just can't fully understand why we believe that we have the right to limit someone's rights even though that individual's decision isn't affecting you. Supporting myself on my previous statements I can proudly say that; I am a straight male who advocates the right for an individual to marry anyone with no limitations on gender. Although I do not approve that a church or any religious entity should be forced to marry a couples of the same sex, if they don't feel like it is right, but... of course you don't have to marry in a church/mosque/temple in order to be legally married.
This is the statement which has the opposer’s back. All someone who opposes gay marriage has to do is quote the Pledge of Allegiance to prove (or disprove) their belief that gay marriage harms the moral fiber of this country. If in fact, this country was founded under a Christian god, than it becomes a little easier to understand why someone would find gay marriage wrong and immoral.
Although world history shows us a different take on male-male and female-female sexual behavior. The ancient Greeks thought humans were bi-sexual and condoned homosexual behavior as long as it didn’t “threaten the institution of the family.” Which brings up another point the opposers have. The standard account for what a family is and was, even to the ancient Greeks, is a father and a mother and children and so on. But let us not use the ancient Greeks as our example, lest we want to argue how another one of their practices might fare in the United States...Pederasty?
As we read, Natural Rights are NOT contingent upon the laws, customs, or beliefs of any particular culture or government, and therefore universal and inalienable. However, Legal Rights are. “The law of the land” must be followed which is why the original vote on prop 8 was revoked.
Now, having stated what I feel about some of the oppositions points, my personal opinion is that gay and lesbian couples should be allow equal rights as straight married couples. A gay couple has the Natural Right to be together; nobody can take that away. However, if their union is not Legal and a homosexual is in an accident and in a hospital, only allowed visitation by family members, where does his partner stand in all this? In the waiting room? Now THAT is morally wrong. Lets say further that this person enters a vegetative state and a decision has to be made about how to treat him, who makes this decision if his parents are both deceases? Granted, this is an extreme example of just ONE of the many situations that straight married couples might come across, but one that is not often thought about when thinking about homosexual unmarried couples.
The institution of marriage is deteriorating. With adultery and divorce running rampant, the holy union is not loner so holy. There is a multitude of reasons why homosexual marriage should be allowed and recognized, and I believe it should.
M-Y Bonet: Ok, we understand your open-mindedness, but we need to be able to rebut the arguments against same sex marriage with more than just ad hominem points.
I stand firmly behind the banning of homosexual marriage. This is the greatest abominationman man can make and I am totally against it. From a legal standpoint, I agree with the lawmakers who decided to have "gay-marriages" banned. Though we've eluded the spiritual connection our Founding Fatheres possessed, it is still necessary that we live up to their expectations for America. Our country was not designed to have its members portray immoral acts. Instead, we were built on religious practices and a set of rules, laws and practices that would allow our nation to prosper. The idea of two men or two women being together in Holy matrimony is not favorable for the likes of those who have a deep-rooted, spiritual relationship. Bringing me to my next point. In a religious aspect, the shame that would go into having these men and women commit such acts of sin would be extremely horrid. Christianity, Judaism and Islam are the three main religious groups in our country to date and they all have stern rules as it relates to homosexual marriage. It is simply forbidden. The deities of these religious groups have no understanding and no tolerance for homosexual practice. Homosexuality to them is evil and it needs to be corrected. Thus, my views on this issue is that homosexual marriage should never be accepted. This is a plague that shouldn't even be allowed to take place, in any form, within our society.
I think this is a good like for you Anonymous Marriage
"People marry for many reasons, including one or more of the following: legal, social, libidinal, emotional, economic, spiritual, and religious."
Granted, in any standard definition of marriage you have the specificity of "man and woman", but again, this is the portion of the law we are discussing.
You will also notice that religion is the last mentioned. In America, a majority of people get married for "love" and the legal privileges afforded to those in matrimony. Many people get married in a courthouse, and in some states others even get married by a notary public. While I respect that to you and your religion Anonymous, matrimony is holy, it is not to many others.
I also understand that in some religions homosexuality is a sin, but let us not forget that approximately 15% of Americans (which is the country we are taking about) claims no religion.
Beyond your passion for your religion, and your appeal to tradition, I did not read a valid or strong argument for why homosexual marriage should or should not be allowed in America.
I stand firmly behind the banning of homosexual marriage. This is the greatest abominationman man can make and I am totally against it. From a legal standpoint, I agree with the lawmakers who decided to have "gay-marriages" banned. Though we've eluded the spiritual connection our Founding Fatheres possessed, it is still necessary that we live up to their expectations for America. Our country was not designed to have its members portray immoral acts. Instead, we were built on religious practices and a set of rules, laws and practices that would allow our nation to prosper. The idea of two men or two women being together in Holy matrimony is not favorable for the likes of those who have a deep-rooted, spiritual relationship. Bringing me to my next point. In a religious aspect, the shame that would go into having these men and women commit such acts of sin would be extremely horrid. Christianity, Judaism and Islam are the three main religious groups in our country to date and they all have stern rules as it relates to homosexual marriage. It is simply forbidden. The deities of these religious groups have no understanding and no tolerance for homosexual practice. Homosexuality to them is evil and it needs to be corrected. Thus, my views on this issue is that homosexual marriage should never be accepted. This is a plague that shouldn't even be allowed to take place, in any form, within our society.
We are all human beings. Whether we're black, white, man, woman, whether our sexaul preference is one of the opposite sex or the same sex, we are all people and we all deserve the same rights no matter what. Just because someone was born a certain way and prefers to be with someone of the same sex as them doesn't mean that they don't deserve the same rights as a heterosexual person. A gay person has the same rights as a straight person to marry the person of their choice as well as start a family, and have the benefits that a married couple has. As stated in the post, in many different parts of the world same sex relationships or marriages aren't looked down upon. I think that here in the United States people tend to think that to be gay is a negative thing, like if it was some type of terrible disease that shouldn't exist. My point is that as humans we should all have the same rights as the next person. The question really is "what is about being gay and marrying someone of the same sex so wrong?" Many people will say that in the bible a man should be with a woman, but other than that what logical explanation for making this wrong? In my very own opinion, I think same sex marriage should be allowed everywhere. People deserve to marry who they choose. Its like telling a woman she can't vote, or telling a person of color he has to sit in the back of the bus. Point is we're all people, and deserve to be treated like people with equal rights.
There are several aspects to take into consideration when arguing about same-sex marriage. I am a supporter of gay rights and I believe that same-sex marriage should be allowed in every single state of our nation. Using an appeal to pathos to support my point of view, I can say that a man who is in love with another man should have the same rights as a man in love with a woman. Gay couples have the same desires in life as a straight couple. Raising a family, succeeding in their careers, living a normal, happy life are some of the basic aspirations any couple, no matter the sexual orientation, have. It is devastating to see so many gay couples struggling to fit in, in a society that rejects them and condemns them for supposedly doing something evil, when in reality all they want is to love and be loved.
From the religious point of view, I understand if a religion does not approve of same-sex marriage, but as long as they are not the ones directly affected by it, what do they care? They can continue practicing their religion and let the people that don’t live by the same standards do what makes them happy. At the end of the day isn’t it everyone’s goal, to be happy?
We live in a democracy where majority rules, but in cases like this, the people affected by a specific issue should be the ones our government has in mind when making a decision that will only affect them.
This argument is one that hits close to home for me as a open and proud homosexual man. I don't know why it seems to be something so huge if a man decides to marry, or have see another man or woman see another. To Diego, I understand and see the point you make about the immorality of "same-sex" partnerships using the pledge of allegiance as an argument. However is this pledge we also stand "one nation under God INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY and JUSTICE FOR ALL" It does not say all except gays and lesbians. I want to know why are gays and lesbians serve so proudly to protect the country that condemns them. I have served proudly for the past 6 1/2 years. Served and was injured in Iraq and Afghanistan on multiple deployments. Yet when I return home I am not allowed to love the person of my choosing. Also in the military it was thought that homosexual and lesbian men and women represented a "higher risk" because of the "un-natural sexual practices" I would like to know this question, how is it that I am considered to be at a higher risk? I have been in a completely monogomous relationship with the SAME MAN for the past 7 years. Both of us have served in the military and received Honorable discharges from the Armed Forces of our nation. How are we any higher of a risk than the heterosexual male or female that practices promiscuous sex? Or how is it that society decides that two women or two men can not provide a safe and loving home to one of our nations thousands of children in foster care, yet in our countries inner cities there are homes with 4,5,6, or more children with only one parent with little or no help from the other parent. Statistics have shown that a very high percentage of these youths committ crimes at an early age and escalate to major crimes as they get older and gang affiliations as well. The entire "reasoning" for denying this simple expression of love is ridiculous. I don't see how a man marrying the man he loves is going to somehow affect the "moral fiber" in your home? Your home and what goes on there is your business, why are we so worried about how others express their happiness and love? Nice to see that in this nation Love does not matter when it comes to marriage, as long as it's between a man and a woman. Way to go America! Nice to see the Liberty and Justice I fought to protect. L A. Ingram
UCLA school of law estimates there are 9 million Americans that identify as gay lesbian or bisexual. Preventing them from being married will not change their sexual orientation, nor slow down the growing numbers. Europe has gay marriage rights and even Latin America. Led by Argentina (Fantastic read) a huge battle between the president of Argentina and the Roman Catholic Church itself, endured during the campaign to get the bill passed. Not passing it would of been “terrible distortion of democracy” indeed.
Thank you Charles for speaking up and providing more points to rebuttal. As it stands, religion is the only argument against gay marriage. Our founding fathers, as you mentioned, were strong believers in Christianity. John Adams, a great American said,"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people..." Thus strengthening your point, however if we analyze their beliefs and the way life was lived during colonial times we can see that they themselves did not live the life they preached. Then and now, people have premarital sex, commit adultery, among others not directly related to the topic at hand. If sex was only meant for the means of reproduction, why do people masturbate? practice "safe sex"? The founding fathers upheld slavery (A need for control, relevant.) Equal rights for women? How about interracial marriage? By our standards now, they were not moral and thus the constitution was not made for them.
This shows the need for separation of church and state.
Is same sex marriage unconstitutional? This is a very interesting topic that touches on many different realms. I personally am on the fence when it comes to same sex marriage. I believe that marriage is between man and women. If you claim a religious belief then you are most definitely opposing same sex marriage. For many years and still today same sex marriage in the church is unheard of. For instance I grew up in a baptist church where same sex marriage does not exist. It's unfortunate that church goers despise gay or lesbian's and thier beliefs. I also believe that everyone has a right to happiness, just as long as it is out of harms way. We are all human beings which means we can not help who we fall in love with. Every individual has the right to be with the person of his or her choice. I do not think that we are in a position to make that decision. I say we leave that to the man upstairs.
Since many years ago homosexuality already exist and with it the prejudice. People have the right to live as they want. If they want to relate with a person of the same sex it’s not us that is going to say that it is wrong or not. The society has already changed their views of gay people, they accept more than before, but when it comes to gay marriage it’s a different thing. I think that if I have the right to marry anyone I want, other people can marry with a person of the same sex too, and have the same rights. They need to have a support of the government, because like any other relationship, it will have problems and the person that is being affected need the support like anybody else.
When I think of gay marriage I think of two people in love. Morally, gay marriage is frowned upon, but so is getting a divorce. I believe that people should get married to what every sex they desire. It is what their hearts want (emotionally). It is nobodies business to which person they are drawn to. We are born alone and die alone so who is to say what one should or should not do. I have seen more gay couples happily together than regular couples. Most people have a system of beliefs such as religion. Religion plays a huge role to our views on immorality. Like I mentioned before people are getting divorced every day. I am not saying regular couples is all bad, but it does have downsides as much as gay marriages do. People should be able to do what they want without being harassed or judge. There are more things to worry about than this. -Rebecca Soza
When you're saying homosexuality is a religious abomination, I assume you're basing this off the bible. Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. And I'm pretty sure he would have spent some time on the subject if he actually thought it had relevance or importance. I think someone who culturally represents love and compassion wouldn't care either way about what youre doing in your private life as long as it isn't harming others. However, in Mark10:1-12 the bible does specifically say divorce is strictly prohibited, and yet I don't see Christians getting up in arms about the 50 percent divorce rate in America. The main verse that most refer to when opposing homosexuality is from Leviticus 18:22 "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." But this same section also says "But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you".
Hmm.. Eating shellfish is an abomination. Funny how fundamentalists really pick and choose what an abomination is. If your argument is that we should strictly follow the bible verse for verse, Red Lobster is going to be seeing a dip in it's customer base. We can't think that everything written centuries ago could possibly be applicable today. If you oppose gay marraige, don't get one. What does it have to do with you? And don't even say it is degrating to heterosexual marriage because heterosexual marriage has done enough damage to it's self. Between getting married for the purpose of gaining citizenship, and the fastly growing divorce rate it doesn't seem quite like the institution fundamental chrirtians are trying to make it out to be.
When you're saying homosexuality is a religious abomination, I assume you're basing this off the bible. Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. And I'm pretty sure he would have spent some time on the subject if he actually thought it had relevance or importance. I think someone who culturally represents love and compassion wouldn't care either way about what youre doing in your private life as long as it isn't harming others. However, in Mark10:1-12 the bible does specifically say divorce is strictly prohibited, and yet I don't see Christians getting up in arms about the 50 percent divorce rate in America. The main verse that most refer to when opposing homosexuality is from Leviticus 18:22 "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." But this same section also says "But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you".
Hmm.. Eating shellfish is an abomination. Funny how fundamentalists really pick and choose what an abomination is. If your argument is that we should strictly follow the bible verse for verse, Red Lobster is going to be seeing a dip in it's customer base. We can't think that everything written centuries ago could possibly be applicable today. If you oppose gay marraige, don't get one. What does it have to do with you? And don't even say it is degrating to heterosexual marriage because heterosexual marriage has done enough damage to it's self. Between getting married for the purpose of gaining citizenship, and the fastly growing divorce rate it doesn't seem quite like the institution fundamental chrirtians are trying to make it out to be.
This is a first amendment type issue, in this case there is a clear double standard. We have a first amendment to say controversial things. So ya religious people get their ideas protected but those who hold controversial believes, well screw them. In this case liberty is not being defended. At the same time any idea is restricted, for example hurting someone. The truth is we have the right to say and think controversial things, if not well get a government that will tell us what we can eat, drink smoke..etc. The Constitution is here to protect ideas, whether they are mainstream religious ones, or not so mainstream controversial ones.
I agree with Cami029, "Same sex marriage should be allowed everywhere". The U.S. always promotes this land as "land of the free", but it clearly does go to some extent. Being able to marry your spouse (no matter what gender) should be under the discretion of the partner not the government. All couples should have marriage as on option, Why would that be unconstitutional? love is universal. Negative views of same sex marriage are usually based on religion and morals. But if that's the case, then why isn't divorce unconstitutional. Everyone has the right to be happy, the government and american people for that matter shouldn't decide whether gays / lesbians wed. -Rosseline Diaz
This is a very tough topic to talk about. Most people are very adamant about their opinion on the subject and as a result I sometimes feel like the subject only reaches a moot point. I personally am a straight male, who was raised to think that homosexuality is wrong in the eyes of god. I don't really understand what makes a person attracted to the same sex but who am I to say that it is wrong? What people do behind closed doors is their own business. I believe that gay people should have the same right to get married as anyone else. We are not changing anyone's sexual orientation by not allowing it. The only thing that banning gay marriage accomplishes is to take away gay couple's property rights. I have noticed that several people have appealed to tradition or to religion but that has nothing to do with the laws that govern this country. That is why we have separation of church and state. The only applicable point that I can make against gay marriage(even though I support it) is whether or not a gay married couple should be able to adopt children. I have no doubt that a gay couple could raise a child but what kind of emotional damage would it do to the child? This is a separate issue but an inevitable problem that will need to be addressed if gay marriage is legalized nationwide. Hopefully, it will happen someday.
I'll start by stating that I have no problems with same-sex marriage. The only problem I have with marriage, in general, is how many end in divorce, or how some people have been married more than 4 times. So, it's okay for straight people to get married and divorced multiple times, or to marry someone strictly for money or other purely superficial reasons, but it's not okay for a gay person to get married for love? The banning of same-sex marriage seems illogical and contradictory from my point of view. The Constitution was written in a vastly different time in America, especially in thought and beliefs; slavery was legal, women could not vote and had basically no rights compared to men. It's been proven over and over again that the Constitution needs to be amended and brought up to relevance, and this clearly is another situation. This is archaic thinking, similar to slavery and women's suffrage. What was it that managed to change man's beliefs and thoughts from women and blacks not being equal to white males and deserving of the same justices, liberties, and rights to believing that they are in fact equals and deserving of the same rights, but somehow homosexuals are not? I thought by now we would have finally arrived at the conclusion that every single person is in fact an actual human being and deserving of the equality of every other human being. My belief in what this country and our constitution stands for, or should stand for, is equality. I wish I could say "freedom and equality" instead of "equality," but we aren't quite given all the "freedoms" the Constitution supposedly promises us as citizens, especially life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I don't understand how anyone can look at this subject using strictly logic and rational thinking, while putting aside any biases or prejudices, and not believing that same-sex marriage should be legal. I don't think I've ever even heard an actual reason why homosexuals should not be allowed to get legally married. I understand certain religions not allowing it due to their system of beliefs and traditions, but why is it banned by certain states if there is supposed to be separation of church and state? Surprise, suprise (while rolling my eyes) it looks like religion and religious beliefs are at the center of this controversy. For how "great" religion is supposed to be, it sure has been at the heart of a rather large amount of controversies, wars, pain, suffering, and death throughout the history of human beings. It seems to me like a religion benefits a lot more from its followers than its followers benefit from a religion.
It's unfortunate that this is actually a topic of discussion in the country that purports to be the "freest" on Earth. Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, "Your right to swing your first ends where my nose begins." What he meant to say with this statement was that a person's personal liberties end once they impact upon others; from a slightly different perspective, this can be interpreted as that a person's personal liberties are the set of all behaviors which do not directly impact others. This is clearly dependent on how "directly impact" is defined. If we analyze one popular argument against homosexuality/homosexual marriage, that it is an affront to God and the sanctity of marriage, one could assert the converse: God and the "sanctity of marriage" infringe on the liberty to love whomever one pleases (assuming love is a choice, which it is not). Therefore, we must chose to either accept both the idea of Yahweh's morals AND the idea of free love/homosexual union, or reject BOTH outright for interfering with one another. I personally believe that the choices and decisions a person makes (assuming we have free will) are an essential part of living a complete life, and that we should have the ability to do whatever we feel, so long as it does not "directly impact" other people, which I do not feel homosexual union does. There is a much stronger argument than this deriving from genetics, which states that sexual orientation is something that a person can not decide for his/herself. In light of this, it is inhumane to deny such a person rights which are granted to another, as it would denigrate the person to the status of a non-person (as blacks were during the era of slavery).
First, we must ask ourselves what the definition of the word unconstitutional means. In the dictionary, it is defined as something, which isn’t consistent with the constitution of the United States of America. Next, we must ask ourselves what is marriage? There are two aspects of marriage: there is the legal aspect (union by law of man and a woman) and the religious aspect (union of a man and a woman under the eyes of God). This brings us to two different issues. In my opinion, the government should give everyone the same rights being man and woman or man and man-as long as there is love, respect, and commitment. I have seen many marriages that have not been an example of a union between a man and a woman; yet, I have seen a union between a man and a man and/or a woman and a woman that has lasted a lifetime. As much as the government has rules and laws, so does God. And in the eyes of God, the union between two people of the same sex is unnatural. This is precisely why we have separation of church and state; because sometimes, the church has certain laws/ideas that do not agree with the government. I am no one to judge the church, but I can tell you that I do not think that there is anything wrong with two human beings who love each other and want to share the rest of their lives together in forming a union. At the same time, I do not think that we should force the churches of the world to accept something that they deem unnatural.
The belief in the rights of same sex marriage can be compared to the belief in the rights of having an arranged marriage. Both sets of marriage systems are based upon an individual’s belief system, usually always rooted in one’s religious background. It would be naïve to expect those whose faiths do not agree with either type of marriage arrangements to change their views easily; however, it is ludicrous to think it justifiable to outlaw a type of marriage based on religious views. Arranged marriages happen in the United States within groups of South Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants who have brought this practice with them from their homelands. “We the People” do not step in and say that this is against the law to practice because we allow and protect religious freedom and equal rights for all citizens. This is why people come to this country, for true freedom. We are a secular nation; therefore no government can prohibit rights based on religious beliefs. It is obvious that as a U.S. citizen a person has the freedom to choose whether or not to participate in any religious system, so if a woman in the United States of Hindu religion chooses not to not marry a man who has been arranged by her family to marry, there is no legal consequences that will effect her freedom or rights. Although she may face problems within her family and faith, no one can force her into a marriage. She is still free to make her own choice. To outlaw gay marriage, even if there seems to be a majority rule against it, would be unconstitutional. You would be taking a way an individual’s right to practice his or her own beliefs. It would be imposing on the same freedom that we say we try to protect in the United States. The constitution of the United States says that no State shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.” In my opinion, gay marriage does not hurt anyone. It may be offensive to some, but unless it is causing physical harm to someone, there is no justification for removing the right of marriage from anyone. Also, where are these statistics coming from that say there is a majority that rules against gay marriage? Statistics cannot be accurate when they do not include studies across every city and town throughout the nation. I have never filled out a questionnaire that asked for my opinion, nor have I ever known someone who has filled out such a questionnaire. This proves that it is possible that there are many voters and citizens whose beliefs are not being accounted for. We should not be asking only the opinions of White Catholic Midwest middle-aged Americans for their opinions. The future of our nation is our children. We should be tapping into our high schools and colleges to see our future generations’ opinions for the importance of this and if their beliefs protect constitutional rights. Personal belief systems are very complex. Our own beliefs are based on our background, religion, and upbringing, so we cannot expect that people’s views will change overnight. However, the tolerance of opposing views should be expected in this country, as our country was built by people who were seeking equality and freedom. There is no way to justify a ban on gay marriage because you are then saying it is okay to remove someone’s rights for equality and freedom. In my opinion, if you are against gay marriage, then don’t marry a man if you’re a man, a woman if you’re a woman, and don’t attend a gay wedding. For all other purposes, people should keep their beliefs to themselves and stop imposing their beliefs as if they should be law. This is not Vatican City. Church and State are separate and always will be in the United States. We cannot call ourselves a secular nation if we allow states to prohibit personal freedoms based on religious beliefs. - Bethany Ferraro
The married between people of the same sex seems to be a really controversial point in the United Stated and many other countries all around the world. Although our society is constantly fighting for homosexual rights, there are still prejudices in accepting marriage of the same sex. However, where do we leave the individual right of a person if we band on same sex marriage? Many religious beliefs, traditions and patterns imposed by societies have been proved to be wrong throughout the years because they violated the individual rights. Therefore, people have stand and fight for those rights. Society has been evolving and the time a person can decided who to marriage regardless sex is coming. Since each individual should have the right to marriage the person him or her choice and also, to achieve the all of the benefits and obligations of a legal marriage. The acceptance of the same sex marriage doesn’t have to be imposed to any religion. It is their responsibility to accepted or not.
I think that the government has no business in who you want to marry as long as you're paying taxes and not harming anyone else. I don’t see why people would consider it “evil” when it comes to two consenting same sex adults making a commitment, and a decision to be treated like a couple in legal terms. A ban on gay marriage would definitely be unconstitutional, because it would infringe on individual rights. I work for a gay couple and if they wanted to get married I would support them 100%. They don’t want to get involved with the government so they don’t bother. They’ve been together for almost 15 years and they are very happy. Gay marriage opponents seem to speak of gays in love as if they were monsters, and their concerns are very immature and self-centered. Two guys or two girls getting married does not water down your “holy” matrimony. It’s not about you! It’s about them. These opponents need to put things into perspective and imagine that the law was against them marrying their opposite sex partner whom they love very much and have every intention of spending the rest of their life with. It would be very unfair, no matter how sensible the reasons against it, you wouldn’t want to be told that you can’t. Because you’re not trying to hurt anyone, you’re just so in love you want it to be in the books, and you want to declare it to the world. Love is a beautiful thing, and marriage should be there for anyone who wants to make the commitment.
from my limited experience and knowledge concerning this topic,me as a person who believe in god think its not the person, but what they ae are doing that most people forget what reason they were angry in the first place, and i also think its cause people fear that the more we let something stay around us like its normal it then becomes part of the norm, or it could be that people just fear doomsday might come quicker or something? i don't particularly know much about this topic but there it is. - andy ermilus
I feel everyone should have equal rights and neither the government nor the church should have any impact or say on whom you choose to be in a relationship with. This is a free country with limitations. We are free and allowed to express ourselves to a certain extend. The purpose of the government is to protect our individual rights, but it seems as though it is limiting our rights by not let gays and lesbian enter into a marriage. It is unconstitutional as the Constitution clearly states that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them being Life, Liberty and the pursuit for happiness. Just like African-Americans and women in this country had to struggle and fight for their “freedom” so must gays and lesbians. And one-day intelligent robots will have to fight for their freedom and their right to enter into a marriage.
Being heterosexual I couldn’t imagine the hurt and pain I would feel if I was not allowed to marry the one I loved most and wanted to spend the rest of my life with. From a moral standpoint I feel it is unfair. I am concern with kids raised in a gay or lesbian family for it can cause confusion to the kids as they grow up. By confusion I mean everywhere on TV the standard family consist of a father and a mother and in school other kids which parents have not taught them that everyone should be treated equal could cause bullying. This is obviously something that will pass and is just a small price to pay for the community to live freely. When blacks were first allowed to attend “white” universities, they experienced some difficult times but eventually provided the following generations with freedom.
Groups will have to struggle and fight to gain their freedom and eventually we will live in a harmony world. So what we are experiencing now is just another step towards it.
In a country where the cousins of my ancestors we're enslaved, refused rights and privileges, yet turned out for the better is a similar turn of events for what might come for gay marriage. We run a democracy if the people see something is wrong they will try to fix it. As history shows it, in time it might all change, hopefully for the better. I don't think there is anything wrong towards gay marriage. They will love one another as any other couple would. This has been a battle for sometime now with law makers and courts voting and setting laws to prohibit or allow gay marriage. And the opposed people continue to fight it. As history shows it, in time it might all change, hopefully for the better. They are already here so let them live like the human beings they are. -Andrae Williams
Coexist is what a lot of people should learn about and practice. We all live on the same plant and we must live together as one. Furthermore whether gay marriage is constitutional or not is not where the problem begins, the problem being when a human being right is denied on a land where having rights plays major in society. I may not be a hard core Christian or religious person but one thing I can say for certain is that Religion and Politician should never be mixed. One religion is a belief and everyone has different beliefs and just because you live and believe one way doesn't mean others can that is the very source of ignorance not giving others the equal value that anyone else would want. Finally if anyone ever thinks about getting married or want to remember why people get married, marriage is a holy ceremonial event between two individuals who want to be united as one under the eye of God. - Andre Smith
29 comments:
I am not even sure why this is a topic... do we really even have to put some thought on why homosexuals have the right to be married? Are we really that close minded that we won't allow someone to marry the individual they love? I really thought marriage was about "love", but I guess you "believers" have the right to impose your own morality on the rest of the people. I just can't fully understand why we believe that we have the right to limit someone's rights even though that individual's decision isn't affecting you. Supporting myself on my previous statements I can proudly say that; I am a straight male who advocates the right for an individual to marry anyone with no limitations on gender. Although I do not approve that a church or any religious entity should be forced to marry a couples of the same sex, if they don't feel like it is right, but... of course you don't have to marry in a church/mosque/temple in order to be legally married.
“One nation, under god...”
This is the statement which has the opposer’s back. All someone who opposes gay marriage has to do is quote the Pledge of Allegiance to prove (or disprove) their belief that gay marriage harms the moral fiber of this country. If in fact, this country was founded under a Christian god, than it becomes a little easier to understand why someone would find gay marriage wrong and immoral.
Although world history shows us a different take on male-male and female-female sexual behavior. The ancient Greeks thought humans were bi-sexual and condoned homosexual behavior as long as it didn’t “threaten the institution of the family.” Which brings up another point the opposers have. The standard account for what a family is and was, even to the ancient Greeks, is a father and a mother and children and so on. But let us not use the ancient Greeks as our example, lest we want to argue how another one of their practices might fare in the United States...Pederasty?
As we read, Natural Rights are NOT contingent upon the laws, customs, or beliefs of any particular culture or government, and therefore universal and inalienable. However, Legal Rights are. “The law of the land” must be followed which is why the original vote on prop 8 was revoked.
Now, having stated what I feel about some of the oppositions points, my personal opinion is that gay and lesbian couples should be allow equal rights as straight married couples. A gay couple has the Natural Right to be together; nobody can take that away. However, if their union is not Legal and a homosexual is in an accident and in a hospital, only allowed visitation by family members, where does his partner stand in all this? In the waiting room? Now THAT is morally wrong. Lets say further that this person enters a vegetative state and a decision has to be made about how to treat him, who makes this decision if his parents are both deceases? Granted, this is an extreme example of just ONE of the many situations that straight married couples might come across, but one that is not often thought about when thinking about homosexual unmarried couples.
The institution of marriage is deteriorating. With adultery and divorce running rampant, the holy union is not loner so holy. There is a multitude of reasons why homosexual marriage should be allowed and recognized, and I believe it should.
M-Y Bonet: Ok, we understand your open-mindedness, but we need to be able to rebut the arguments against same sex marriage with more than just ad hominem points.
I stand firmly behind the banning of homosexual marriage. This is the greatest abominationman man can make and I am totally against it. From a legal standpoint, I agree with the lawmakers who decided to have "gay-marriages" banned. Though we've eluded the spiritual connection our Founding Fatheres possessed, it is still necessary that we live up to their expectations for America. Our country was not designed to have its members portray immoral acts. Instead, we were built on religious practices and a set of rules, laws and practices that would allow our nation to prosper. The idea of two men or two women being together in Holy matrimony is not favorable for the likes of those who have a deep-rooted, spiritual relationship. Bringing me to my next point. In a religious aspect, the shame that would go into having these men and women commit such acts of sin would be extremely horrid. Christianity, Judaism and Islam are the three main religious groups in our country to date and they all have stern rules as it relates to homosexual marriage. It is simply forbidden. The deities of these religious groups have no understanding and no tolerance for homosexual practice. Homosexuality to them is evil and it needs to be corrected. Thus, my views on this issue is that homosexual marriage should never be accepted. This is a plague that shouldn't even be allowed to take place, in any form, within our society.
I think this is a good like for you Anonymous Marriage
"People marry for many reasons, including one or more of the following: legal, social, libidinal, emotional, economic, spiritual, and religious."
Granted, in any standard definition of marriage you have the specificity of "man and woman", but again, this is the portion of the law we are discussing.
You will also notice that religion is the last mentioned. In America, a majority of people get married for "love" and the legal privileges afforded to those in matrimony. Many people get married in a courthouse, and in some states others even get married by a notary public. While I respect that to you and your religion Anonymous, matrimony is holy, it is not to many others.
I also understand that in some religions homosexuality is a sin, but let us not forget that approximately 15% of Americans (which is the country we are taking about) claims no religion.
Beyond your passion for your religion, and your appeal to tradition, I did not read a valid or strong argument for why homosexual marriage should or should not be allowed in America.
I stand firmly behind the banning of homosexual marriage. This is the greatest abominationman man can make and I am totally against it. From a legal standpoint, I agree with the lawmakers who decided to have "gay-marriages" banned. Though we've eluded the spiritual connection our Founding Fatheres possessed, it is still necessary that we live up to their expectations for America. Our country was not designed to have its members portray immoral acts. Instead, we were built on religious practices and a set of rules, laws and practices that would allow our nation to prosper. The idea of two men or two women being together in Holy matrimony is not favorable for the likes of those who have a deep-rooted, spiritual relationship. Bringing me to my next point. In a religious aspect, the shame that would go into having these men and women commit such acts of sin would be extremely horrid. Christianity, Judaism and Islam are the three main religious groups in our country to date and they all have stern rules as it relates to homosexual marriage. It is simply forbidden. The deities of these religious groups have no understanding and no tolerance for homosexual practice. Homosexuality to them is evil and it needs to be corrected. Thus, my views on this issue is that homosexual marriage should never be accepted. This is a plague that shouldn't even be allowed to take place, in any form, within our society.
We are all human beings. Whether we're black, white, man, woman, whether our sexaul preference is one of the opposite sex or the same sex, we are all people and we all deserve the same rights no matter what. Just because someone was born a certain way and prefers to be with someone of the same sex as them doesn't mean that they don't deserve the same rights as a heterosexual person. A gay person has the same rights as a straight person to marry the person of their choice as well as start a family, and have the benefits that a married couple has. As stated in the post, in many different parts of the world same sex relationships or marriages aren't looked down upon. I think that here in the United States people tend to think that to be gay is a negative thing, like if it was some type of terrible disease that shouldn't exist. My point is that as humans we should all have the same rights as the next person. The question really is "what is about being gay and marrying someone of the same sex so wrong?" Many people will say that in the bible a man should be with a woman, but other than that what logical explanation for making this wrong? In my very own opinion, I think same sex marriage should be allowed everywhere. People deserve to marry who they choose. Its like telling a woman she can't vote, or telling a person of color he has to sit in the back of the bus. Point is we're all people, and deserve to be treated like people with equal rights.
There are several aspects to take into consideration when arguing about same-sex marriage. I am a supporter of gay rights and I believe that same-sex marriage should be allowed in every single state of our nation. Using an appeal to pathos to support my point of view, I can say that a man who is in love with another man should have the same rights as a man in love with a woman. Gay couples have the same desires in life as a straight couple. Raising a family, succeeding in their careers, living a normal, happy life are some of the basic aspirations any couple, no matter the sexual orientation, have. It is devastating to see so many gay couples struggling to fit in, in a society that rejects them and condemns them for supposedly doing something evil, when in reality all they want is to love and be loved.
From the religious point of view, I understand if a religion does not approve of same-sex marriage, but as long as they are not the ones directly affected by it, what do they care? They can continue practicing their religion and let the people that don’t live by the same standards do what makes them happy. At the end of the day isn’t it everyone’s goal, to be happy?
We live in a democracy where majority rules, but in cases like this, the people affected by a specific issue should be the ones our government has in mind when making a decision that will only affect them.
This argument is one that hits close to home for me as a open and proud homosexual man. I don't know why it seems to be something so huge if a man decides to marry, or have see another man or woman see another. To Diego, I understand and see the point you make about the immorality of "same-sex" partnerships using the pledge of allegiance as an argument. However is this pledge we also stand "one nation under God INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY and JUSTICE FOR ALL" It does not say all except gays and lesbians. I want to know why are gays and lesbians serve so proudly to protect the country that condemns them. I have served proudly for the past 6 1/2 years. Served and was injured in Iraq and Afghanistan on multiple deployments. Yet when I return home I am not allowed to love the person of my choosing. Also in the military it was thought that homosexual and lesbian men and women represented a "higher risk" because of the "un-natural sexual practices" I would like to know this question, how is it that I am considered to be at a higher risk? I have been in a completely monogomous relationship with the SAME MAN for the past 7 years. Both of us have served in the military and received Honorable discharges from the Armed Forces of our nation. How are we any higher of a risk than the heterosexual male or female that practices promiscuous sex? Or how is it that society decides that two women or two men can not provide a safe and loving home to one of our nations thousands of children in foster care, yet in our countries inner cities there are homes with 4,5,6, or more children with only one parent with little or no help from the other parent. Statistics have shown that a very high percentage of these youths committ crimes at an early age and escalate to major crimes as they get older and gang affiliations as well. The entire "reasoning" for denying this simple expression of love is ridiculous. I don't see how a man marrying the man he loves is going to somehow affect the "moral fiber" in your home? Your home and what goes on there is your business, why are we so worried about how others express their happiness and love? Nice to see that in this nation Love does not matter when it comes to marriage, as long as it's between a man and a woman. Way to go America! Nice to see the Liberty and Justice I fought to protect. L A. Ingram
UCLA school of law estimates there are 9 million Americans that identify as gay lesbian or bisexual. Preventing them from being married will not change their sexual orientation, nor slow down the growing numbers. Europe has gay marriage rights and even Latin America. Led by Argentina (Fantastic read) a huge battle between the president of Argentina and the Roman Catholic Church itself, endured during the campaign to get the bill passed. Not passing it would of been “terrible distortion of democracy” indeed.
Thank you Charles for speaking up and providing more points to rebuttal. As it stands, religion is the only argument against gay marriage. Our founding fathers, as you mentioned, were strong believers in Christianity. John Adams, a great American said,"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people..." Thus strengthening your point, however if we analyze their beliefs and the way life was lived during colonial times we can see that they themselves did not live the life they preached. Then and now, people have premarital sex, commit adultery, among others not directly related to the topic at hand. If sex was only meant for the means of reproduction, why do people masturbate? practice "safe sex"? The founding fathers upheld slavery (A need for control, relevant.) Equal rights for women? How about interracial marriage? By our standards now, they were not moral and thus the constitution was not made for them.
This shows the need for separation of church and state.
Is same sex marriage unconstitutional? This is a very interesting topic that touches on many different realms. I personally am on the fence when it comes to same sex marriage. I believe that marriage is between man and women. If you claim a religious belief then you are most definitely opposing same sex marriage. For many years and still today same sex marriage in the church is unheard of. For instance I grew up in a baptist church where same sex marriage does not exist. It's unfortunate that church goers despise gay or lesbian's and thier beliefs. I also believe that everyone has a right to happiness, just as long as it is out of harms way. We are all human beings which means we can not help who we fall in love with. Every individual has the right to be with the person of his or her choice. I do not think that we are in a position to make that decision. I say we leave that to the man upstairs.
Since many years ago homosexuality already exist and with it the prejudice.
People have the right to live as they want. If they want to relate with a person of the same sex it’s not us that is going to say that it is wrong or not. The society has already changed their views of gay people, they accept more than before, but when it comes to gay marriage it’s a different thing.
I think that if I have the right to marry anyone I want, other people can marry with a person of the same sex too, and have the same rights. They need to have a support of the government, because like any other relationship, it will have problems and the person that is being affected need the support like anybody else.
When I think of gay marriage I think of two people in love. Morally, gay marriage is frowned upon, but so is getting a divorce. I believe that people should get married to what every sex they desire. It is what their hearts want (emotionally). It is nobodies business to which person they are drawn to. We are born alone and die alone so who is to say what one should or should not do. I have seen more gay couples happily together than regular couples. Most people have a system of beliefs such as religion. Religion plays a huge role to our views on immorality. Like I mentioned before people are getting divorced every day. I am not saying regular couples is all bad, but it does have downsides as much as gay marriages do. People should be able to do what they want without being harassed or judge. There are more things to worry about than this.
-Rebecca Soza
When you're saying homosexuality is a religious abomination, I assume you're basing this off the bible. Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. And I'm pretty sure he would have spent some time on the subject if he actually thought it had relevance or importance. I think someone who culturally represents love and compassion wouldn't care either way about what youre doing in your private life as long as it isn't harming others. However, in Mark10:1-12 the bible does specifically say divorce is strictly prohibited, and yet I don't see Christians getting up in arms about the 50 percent divorce rate in America. The main verse that most refer to when opposing homosexuality is from Leviticus 18:22
"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination."
But this same section also says
"But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you".
Hmm.. Eating shellfish is an abomination. Funny how fundamentalists really pick and choose what an abomination is. If your argument is that we should strictly follow the bible verse for verse, Red Lobster is going to be seeing a dip in it's customer base. We can't think that everything written centuries ago could possibly be applicable today.
If you oppose gay marraige, don't get one. What does it have to do with you? And don't even say it is degrating to heterosexual marriage because heterosexual marriage has done enough damage to it's self. Between getting married for the purpose of gaining citizenship, and the fastly growing divorce rate it doesn't seem quite like the institution fundamental chrirtians are trying to make it out to be.
When you're saying homosexuality is a religious abomination, I assume you're basing this off the bible. Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. And I'm pretty sure he would have spent some time on the subject if he actually thought it had relevance or importance. I think someone who culturally represents love and compassion wouldn't care either way about what youre doing in your private life as long as it isn't harming others. However, in Mark10:1-12 the bible does specifically say divorce is strictly prohibited, and yet I don't see Christians getting up in arms about the 50 percent divorce rate in America. The main verse that most refer to when opposing homosexuality is from Leviticus 18:22
"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination."
But this same section also says
"But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you".
Hmm.. Eating shellfish is an abomination. Funny how fundamentalists really pick and choose what an abomination is. If your argument is that we should strictly follow the bible verse for verse, Red Lobster is going to be seeing a dip in it's customer base. We can't think that everything written centuries ago could possibly be applicable today.
If you oppose gay marraige, don't get one. What does it have to do with you? And don't even say it is degrating to heterosexual marriage because heterosexual marriage has done enough damage to it's self. Between getting married for the purpose of gaining citizenship, and the fastly growing divorce rate it doesn't seem quite like the institution fundamental chrirtians are trying to make it out to be.
This is a first amendment type issue, in this case there is a clear double standard. We have a first amendment to say controversial things. So ya religious people get their ideas protected but those who hold controversial believes, well screw them. In this case liberty is not being defended. At the same time any idea is restricted, for example hurting someone. The truth is we have the right to say and think controversial things, if not well get a government that will tell us what we can eat, drink smoke..etc. The Constitution is here to protect ideas, whether they are mainstream religious ones, or not so mainstream controversial ones.
I agree with Cami029, "Same sex marriage should be allowed everywhere". The U.S. always promotes this land as "land of the free", but it clearly does go to some extent. Being able to marry your spouse (no matter what gender) should be under the discretion of the partner not the government. All couples should have marriage as on option, Why would that be unconstitutional? love is universal. Negative views of same sex marriage are usually based on religion and morals. But if that's the case, then why isn't divorce unconstitutional. Everyone has the right to be happy, the government and american people for that matter shouldn't decide whether gays / lesbians wed.
-Rosseline Diaz
This is a very tough topic to talk about. Most people are very adamant about their opinion on the subject and as a result I sometimes feel like the subject only reaches a moot point. I personally am a straight male, who was raised to think that homosexuality is wrong in the eyes of god. I don't really understand what makes a person attracted to the same sex but who am I to say that it is wrong? What people do behind closed doors is their own business. I believe that gay people should have the same right to get married as anyone else. We are not changing anyone's sexual orientation by not allowing it. The only thing that banning gay marriage accomplishes is to take away gay couple's property rights. I have noticed that several people have appealed to tradition or to religion but that has nothing to do with the laws that govern this country. That is why we have separation of church and state. The only applicable point that I can make against gay marriage(even though I support it) is whether or not a gay married couple should be able to adopt children. I have no doubt that a gay couple could raise a child but what kind of emotional damage would it do to the child? This is a separate issue but an inevitable problem that will need to be addressed if gay marriage is legalized nationwide. Hopefully, it will happen someday.
I'll start by stating that I have no problems with same-sex marriage. The only problem I have with marriage, in general, is how many end in divorce, or how some people have been married more than 4 times. So, it's okay for straight people to get married and divorced multiple times, or to marry someone strictly for money or other purely superficial reasons, but it's not okay for a gay person to get married for love? The banning of same-sex marriage seems illogical and contradictory from my point of view. The Constitution was written in a vastly different time in America, especially in thought and beliefs; slavery was legal, women could not vote and had basically no rights compared to men. It's been proven over and over again that the Constitution needs to be amended and brought up to relevance, and this clearly is another situation. This is archaic thinking, similar to slavery and women's suffrage. What was it that managed to change man's beliefs and thoughts from women and blacks not being equal to white males and deserving of the same justices, liberties, and rights to believing that they are in fact equals and deserving of the same rights, but somehow homosexuals are not? I thought by now we would have finally arrived at the conclusion that every single person is in fact an actual human being and deserving of the equality of every other human being. My belief in what this country and our constitution stands for, or should stand for, is equality. I wish I could say "freedom and equality" instead of "equality," but we aren't quite given all the "freedoms" the Constitution supposedly promises us as citizens, especially life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I don't understand how anyone can look at this subject using strictly logic and rational thinking, while putting aside any biases or prejudices, and not believing that same-sex marriage should be legal. I don't think I've ever even heard an actual reason why homosexuals should not be allowed to get legally married. I understand certain religions not allowing it due to their system of beliefs and traditions, but why is it banned by certain states if there is supposed to be separation of church and state? Surprise, suprise (while rolling my eyes) it looks like religion and religious beliefs are at the center of this controversy. For how "great" religion is supposed to be, it sure has been at the heart of a rather large amount of controversies, wars, pain, suffering, and death throughout the history of human beings. It seems to me like a religion benefits a lot more from its followers than its followers benefit from a religion.
-Blair Mrachek
It's unfortunate that this is actually a topic of discussion in the country that purports to be the "freest" on Earth. Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, "Your right to swing your first ends where my nose begins." What he meant to say with this statement was that a person's personal liberties end once they impact upon others; from a slightly different perspective, this can be interpreted as that a person's personal liberties are the set of all behaviors which do not directly impact others. This is clearly dependent on how "directly impact" is defined. If we analyze one popular argument against homosexuality/homosexual marriage, that it is an affront to God and the sanctity of marriage, one could assert the converse: God and the "sanctity of marriage" infringe on the liberty to love whomever one pleases (assuming love is a choice, which it is not). Therefore, we must chose to either accept both the idea of Yahweh's morals AND the idea of free love/homosexual union, or reject BOTH outright for interfering with one another. I personally believe that the choices and decisions a person makes (assuming we have free will) are an essential part of living a complete life, and that we should have the ability to do whatever we feel, so long as it does not "directly impact" other people, which I do not feel homosexual union does.
There is a much stronger argument than this deriving from genetics, which states that sexual orientation is something that a person can not decide for his/herself. In light of this, it is inhumane to deny such a person rights which are granted to another, as it would denigrate the person to the status of a non-person (as blacks were during the era of slavery).
First, we must ask ourselves what the definition of the word unconstitutional means. In the dictionary, it is defined as something, which isn’t consistent with the constitution of the United States of America. Next, we must ask ourselves what is marriage? There are two aspects of marriage: there is the legal aspect (union by law of man and a woman) and the religious aspect (union of a man and a woman under the eyes of God). This brings us to two different issues. In my opinion, the government should give everyone the same rights being man and woman or man and man-as long as there is love, respect, and commitment. I have seen many marriages that have not been an example of a union between a man and a woman; yet, I have seen a union between a man and a man and/or a woman and a woman that has lasted a lifetime. As much as the government has rules and laws, so does God. And in the eyes of God, the union between two people of the same sex is unnatural. This is precisely why we have separation of church and state; because sometimes, the church has certain laws/ideas that do not agree with the government. I am no one to judge the church, but I can tell you that I do not think that there is anything wrong with two human beings who love each other and want to share the rest of their lives together in forming a union. At the same time, I do not think that we should force the churches of the world to accept something that they deem unnatural.
The belief in the rights of same sex marriage can be compared to the belief in the rights of having an arranged marriage. Both sets of marriage systems are based upon an individual’s belief system, usually always rooted in one’s religious background. It would be naïve to expect those whose faiths do not agree with either type of marriage arrangements to change their views easily; however, it is ludicrous to think it justifiable to outlaw a type of marriage based on religious views. Arranged marriages happen in the United States within groups of South Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants who have brought this practice with them from their homelands. “We the People” do not step in and say that this is against the law to practice because we allow and protect religious freedom and equal rights for all citizens. This is why people come to this country, for true freedom. We are a secular nation; therefore no government can prohibit rights based on religious beliefs.
It is obvious that as a U.S. citizen a person has the freedom to choose whether or not to participate in any religious system, so if a woman in the United States of Hindu religion chooses not to not marry a man who has been arranged by her family to marry, there is no legal consequences that will effect her freedom or rights. Although she may face problems within her family and faith, no one can force her into a marriage. She is still free to make her own choice.
To outlaw gay marriage, even if there seems to be a majority rule against it, would be unconstitutional. You would be taking a way an individual’s right to practice his or her own beliefs. It would be imposing on the same freedom that we say we try to protect in the United States. The constitution of the United States says that no State shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.”
In my opinion, gay marriage does not hurt anyone. It may be offensive to some, but unless it is causing physical harm to someone, there is no justification for removing the right of marriage from anyone.
Also, where are these statistics coming from that say there is a majority that rules against gay marriage? Statistics cannot be accurate when they do not include studies across every city and town throughout the nation. I have never filled out a questionnaire that asked for my opinion, nor have I ever known someone who has filled out such a questionnaire. This proves that it is possible that there are many voters and citizens whose beliefs are not being accounted for. We should not be asking only the opinions of White Catholic Midwest middle-aged Americans for their opinions. The future of our nation is our children. We should be tapping into our high schools and colleges to see our future generations’ opinions for the importance of this and if their beliefs protect constitutional rights.
Personal belief systems are very complex. Our own beliefs are based on our background, religion, and upbringing, so we cannot expect that people’s views will change overnight. However, the tolerance of opposing views should be expected in this country, as our country was built by people who were seeking equality and freedom. There is no way to justify a ban on gay marriage because you are then saying it is okay to remove someone’s rights for equality and freedom.
In my opinion, if you are against gay marriage, then don’t marry a man if you’re a man, a woman if you’re a woman, and don’t attend a gay wedding. For all other purposes, people should keep their beliefs to themselves and stop imposing their beliefs as if they should be law. This is not Vatican City. Church and State are separate and always will be in the United States. We cannot call ourselves a secular nation if we allow states to prohibit personal freedoms based on religious beliefs.
- Bethany Ferraro
The married between people of the same sex seems to be a really controversial point in the United Stated and many other countries all around the world. Although our society is constantly fighting for homosexual rights, there are still prejudices in accepting marriage of the same sex. However, where do we leave the individual right of a person if we band on same sex marriage? Many religious beliefs, traditions and patterns imposed by societies have been proved to be wrong throughout the years because they violated the individual rights. Therefore, people have stand and fight for those rights. Society has been evolving and the time a person can decided who to marriage regardless sex is coming. Since each individual should have the right to marriage the person him or her choice and also, to achieve the all of the benefits and obligations of a legal marriage. The acceptance of the same sex marriage doesn’t have to be imposed to any religion. It is their responsibility to accepted or not.
I think that the government has no business in who you want to marry as long as you're paying taxes and not harming anyone else. I don’t see why people would consider it “evil” when it comes to two consenting same sex adults making a commitment, and a decision to be treated like a couple in legal terms. A ban on gay marriage would definitely be unconstitutional, because it would infringe on individual rights. I work for a gay couple and if they wanted to get married I would support them 100%. They don’t want to get involved with the government so they don’t bother. They’ve been together for almost 15 years and they are very happy.
Gay marriage opponents seem to speak of gays in love as if they were monsters, and their concerns are very immature and self-centered. Two guys or two girls getting married does not water down your “holy” matrimony. It’s not about you! It’s about them. These opponents need to put things into perspective and imagine that the law was against them marrying their opposite sex partner whom they love very much and have every intention of spending the rest of their life with. It would be very unfair, no matter how sensible the reasons against it, you wouldn’t want to be told that you can’t. Because you’re not trying to hurt anyone, you’re just so in love you want it to be in the books, and you want to declare it to the world. Love is a beautiful thing, and marriage should be there for anyone who wants to make the commitment.
from my limited experience and knowledge concerning this topic,me as a person who believe in god think its not the person, but what they ae are doing that most people forget what reason they were angry in the first place, and i also think its cause people fear that the more we let something stay around us like its normal it then becomes part of the norm, or it could be that people just fear doomsday might come quicker or something? i don't particularly know much about this topic but there it is. - andy ermilus
I feel everyone should have equal rights and neither the government nor the church should have any impact or say on whom you choose to be in a relationship with. This is a free country with limitations. We are free and allowed to express ourselves to a certain extend. The purpose of the government is to protect our individual rights, but it seems as though it is limiting our rights by not let gays and lesbian enter into a marriage. It is unconstitutional as the Constitution clearly states that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them being Life, Liberty and the pursuit for happiness. Just like African-Americans and women in this country had to struggle and fight for their “freedom” so must gays and lesbians. And one-day intelligent robots will have to fight for their freedom and their right to enter into a marriage.
Being heterosexual I couldn’t imagine the hurt and pain I would feel if I was not allowed to marry the one I loved most and wanted to spend the rest of my life with. From a moral standpoint I feel it is unfair. I am concern with kids raised in a gay or lesbian family for it can cause confusion to the kids as they grow up. By confusion I mean everywhere on TV the standard family consist of a father and a mother and in school other kids which parents have not taught them that everyone should be treated equal could cause bullying. This is obviously something that will pass and is just a small price to pay for the community to live freely. When blacks were first allowed to attend “white” universities, they experienced some difficult times but eventually provided the following generations with freedom.
Groups will have to struggle and fight to gain their freedom and eventually we will live in a harmony world. So what we are experiencing now is just another step towards it.
-Isaac Camargo
In a country where the cousins of my ancestors we're enslaved, refused rights and privileges, yet turned out for the better is a similar turn of events for what might come for gay marriage. We run a democracy if the people see something is wrong they will try to fix it. As history shows it, in time it might all change, hopefully for the better. I don't think there is anything wrong towards gay marriage. They will love one another as any other couple would. This has been a battle for sometime now with law makers and courts voting and setting laws to prohibit or allow gay marriage. And the opposed people continue to fight it. As history shows it, in time it might all change, hopefully for the better. They are already here so let them live like the human beings they are.
-Andrae Williams
Coexist is what a lot of people should learn about and practice. We all live on the same plant and we must live together as one. Furthermore whether gay marriage is constitutional or not is not where the problem begins, the problem being when a human being right is denied on a land where having rights plays major in society. I may not be a hard core Christian or religious person but one thing I can say for certain is that Religion and Politician should never be mixed. One religion is a belief and everyone has different beliefs and just because you live and believe one way doesn't mean others can that is the very source of ignorance not giving others the equal value that anyone else would want. Finally if anyone ever thinks about getting married or want to remember why people get married, marriage is a holy ceremonial event between two individuals who want to be united as one under the eye of God. - Andre Smith
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