Should Homosexual Marriages Be Legal? Essay:

America, the land of the free? Not when homosexuals are deprived of their human rights due to their sexual orientation. After all, people immigrated to America for freedom and equality not given in their home countries. The way we live our lives on a day-to-day basis and the decisions we make are what distinguish us from one another. These differences are what deny certain humans certain rights, and one of the rights homosexuals have been fighting for is the right for marriage. This issue remains controversial across the nation. Gay marriages are banned for preposterous reasons, such as the inability for a gay couple to reproduce. Religious beliefs play a role in the act of banning gay marriages according to what is written in the Bible. Another excuse used to deny homosexual marriage is that the couple will have a negative effect on the child they choose to raise. These irrational reasons towards banning gay marriages are not compelling to deny homosexuals their rights; therefore gay marriages should be legal.

It is unjust to restrict same sex couples from marriage because of their inability to procreate. Let us first consider that same sex couples are not the only ones who are incapable of having kids, there are many heterosexual couples out there with infertile partners who are just as eager to have children as homosexuals are. However, there exist several ways in having children. If the natural method of having kids is impossible then one can either adopt a child or receive one through false insemination. What difference does it make to have a straight couple get married and decide to never have kids at all or to have two gay men tie the knot? Let us also not forget about elderly couples, who are also incapable of procreation. Beneath all this lie the only difference, and that is the labels we are given and identify with. “The rights and privileges of marriage are based on the assumption that a couple will have children and raise them within the legal structure provided by the state. If having children is not the point of legal marriage, then there is no reason to provide married couples with special benefits.” (“Should Gay Marriage Be Legal?”) Although in some states homosexuals are given the right to marry, for instance Massachusetts, they are not completely satisfied because of the benefits they will not receive in which married heterosexuals do, such as Social Security, and Health Insurance. It absolutely makes no sense to ban gay marriages for a reason, which applies to heterosexuals as well. Why would we even want to overpopulate the country in the first place? One can only question so much about an illogical reason that inhibits gays and lesbians from achieving justice in a country symbolized by the Statue of Liberty.

Religion has been and always will be a factor in other issues that arise in society. We live in a country with a variety of people, coming from different cultures and raised into different religions. “Gay people are gradually coming to an awareness that gayness matters in the way we lead our lives; not some insignificant factor in life like a preference for grapes over strawberries.” (“The Stakes in the Gay Marriage Wars”) The religion we choose or are brought up to effects our lifestyle and point of view; so does the sexual orientation we prefer. Not everyone is Christian or Catholic or Jewish, etc. Therefore, nothing should be determined based upon religion for the reason that people share unusual belief systems which contradict each other, and is the root of all societal issues. We can not live our lives by every word the Bible says it is impossible. This elucidates as to why we do not place so much emphasis on anything else declared in the Bible as much as we do on same sex marriages. . If we’re going to judge marriage on premises of the Bible then we should not leave out God’s acceptance and love for all of us. I believe God wants us all to be happy and by prohibiting gay marriages we take away the happiness same sex couples share. Marriage is all about entrusting yourself to one, not to God. Our religious conviction is important and should not be taken to any extreme or handled incorrectly. A “moral argument put forward by the world’s great faiths is that homosexuality is unnatural. God created man and woman with certain complementary capacities, and not to use them is an insult to the Creator. (Religious People Against Gay Marriage.) The Bible is used to its advantage by opponents of gay marriages, as a source to ban what God claims was meant for only a man and a woman. Yes, the Bible does state that homosexuality is a sin, but then again it also states that cheating, lying, stealing, and etc. all fall under the same name, sin. However, marriage cannot be a sin if it does not harm anyone. No one is going to die if two lesbians decide to make their love official by getting married. It is time for us to be a bit more realistic and see that what really is harming marriages is the mounting divorce rates amongst heterosexuals. “So people are worried that society’s foundations will crumble if gay marriage is instituted in the United States? Funny, it seems that our foundations have been crumbling just fine without any help from gays.” (“Some Gay Marriages are Models of Success”)

Another excuse people use to ban gay marriage is that the gay couple will have a bad effect on their children since the child will be raised either without a mother or a father. We play many roles in our lives, and most of us can fit or adapt to different roles. Single parents struggle to provide their children with the necessary attention they need by playing both the mother role and father role. “Many think gay couples are not forming families at all but weakening a pillar of society; the traditional unit of Mom, Dad, and kids. The two-parent, heterosexual model is still considered the gold standard for children” (“Looking Straight At Gay Parents”) The only real reason why gay couples are discouraged to start a family is because society fears the growth of more homosexuals. It is most likely that a child raised by homosexuals will turn out to be a homosexual as well. If we are going to argue about how children will be negatively effected by gay parents then perhaps we should not leave out other harmful figures in society which also have a much more dangerous effect on children, such as molesters, kidnappers, alcoholic parents, murderers, and etc. Homosexuals are just as loving, caring and intelligent enough to know how to nurture a child as some heterosexual couples are. “There are a lot of children who need families and love and a parent’s protection and guidance that can be provided by people regardless of their sexual orientation” (“Looking Straight at Gay Parents”). Gay couples can withstand longer lasting relationships than straight couples can because their relationship becomes stronger each time the government tries to tie them down by taking away their right to marry. They have faith that they will one day be granted their right, and this faith will be taught to their adopted child. As for straight couples, their children grow up witnessing the husband abuse the wife or the wife cheats on the husband, and vice versa. Either way children will still be exposed to negativity and be effected by it; however, it is more common for children of heterosexual parents to face such issues.

Gay marriages should not be banned at all because there is no supporting evidence or rational reason to why it should be banned. Homosexuals should not be excluded from the rights and privileges heterosexuals acquire and enjoy; otherwise, what is the underlying principle of using the term “human” rights? Anti-gay marriage activists claim that gay marriages should remain illegal due to their inability to reproduce. Now, we don’t hear much about infertile couples or complain about elderly couples getting married, even though we know that they are also unable to procreate. If one is going to come up with reasons, or more like excuses, to take away a human right, they should first look at it as a whole. They must first see if it applies to everyone else or just to the group of individuals they are targeted at, and apparently, that is one thing the government and every other protestor against gay marriages is not doing. Every single reason used by anti-gay marriage protestors to ban gay marriages can be turned around and used against heterosexuals too. Moreover, religion accounts for being the premises of why gay marriages should be banned. The Bible defines marriage as something meant for only a man and women, yet once again, the Bible has more to say than just defining marriage. Basically, people for some reason ignore other acts the Bible considers as a sin and do not turn it into a big deal as they do for homosexual rights to marriage. Raising a family becomes an issue for same sex because they are doubted to have a successful family, as if all heterosexual families are successful. The world is unjust with prejudice all around. We discriminate against gays and lesbians for being different, for stepping out of line, for wanting peace and love. Marriage is not about reproduction or committing ones self to God, it’s about uniting two individuals who share a powerful love, and a bond so strong that rules out your gender difference.

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