Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues - Same-sex Marriage is Inevitable

On June 26,2015, the Supreme Court sided that gay marriage is a right protected by the U.S. Constitution in all 50 states. Previously, to their decision, same sex marriage was already legal in 37 states and

This act was passed to define and protect the institution of marriage which is supposed to be “between a man and a woman”. As a tactic, the state of Vermont promoted same sex marriages by labeling them as “civil unions” (Schowengerdt, 2002). The state of Vermont felt civil unions would provide gays and lesbians with the same financial benefits as heterosexual couples (Stewart, 2004). In 1998, Hawaii’s stated legislation implemented the DOMA amendment that altered the state’s constitution and rejected same sex marriages (Schowengerdt, 2002). Between 1995 and 2000, 28 states passed laws preventing the recognition of same sex marriages (Schowengert, 2002). The purpose of the DOMA was to prevent gays and lesbians from “exporting same sex marriages to other states” (Finnis, 1997). A Florida Federal Judge denied two women recognition of their marriage which took place in Massachusetts. As a result of this denial, attemtps were made to force other states and the federal government to recognize same sex marriages in states where it is legal (Stewart, 2003).

The judges based their decision on the principle of equality of all before the law. The 14th Amendment requires a state to celebrate a marriage between two persons of the same sex. According to US constitutional law, each US state has its own Constitution, but it is above all the US Federal Constitution. To date 37 of the 50 American states, as well as the District of Columbia, recognized gay marriage. Now, the 14 American states that still refuse to unite two persons of the same sex will not only have to marry

The argument brought before the Supreme Court was to eliminate the ban on same sex marriage that was still held by thirteen states. This was done as part of a lawsuit called Obergefell versus Hodges. Court documents outline that, “14 same-sex couples and two men whose same-sex partners are deceased, filed suits in Federal District Courts in their home States, claiming that respondent state officials violate the Fourteenth Amendment by denying them the right to marry or to have marriages lawfully performed in another State given full recognition.” (United States Court of Appeals)

According to DOMA, “In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the word 'marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word 'spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife” (sec 3). Until recently 2013, the US Supreme Court finally delivered the verdict that declared section 3 of the DOMA, which is the rejection of right to gay marriage is unconstitutional (Shapiro 208). In “Gay Marriage Is A Fundamental Right” by Nathan Goetting, “The right to many, and to marry the person of one's choice, is a fundamental right and a necessary aspect of human happiness. This has been an explicitly stated abiding principle since the Court used its power of judicial review to strike down as unconstitutional a legislature's definition of marriage in 1967.” Currently, 17 states in the United States have legalized the right to same sex marriage. The realization of DOMA is unconstitutional has further evidenced that gay marriage is one of the civil right that should not be taken away by the government, and it is an inevitable changes that open doors for equality and equity.

Firstly, Marriage Equality and the Gay Rights Movement have a history dating back to 1970. "On May 18, 1970, two University of Minnesota students, Richard John 'Jack ' Baker and James Michael McConnell applied to Hennepin County District Court clerk Gerald Nelson for a marriage license. He denied the application, because the applicants both were men.” (ProCon.org) January 1st of 1973, Maryland was the first state to pass a stature banning marriage between same-sex couples. (Wolfson, par. 2) Several other states followed suit up through 1975 and from 1975 through the early 1990’s were fairly quiet. Then in 1993, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled in Baehr v. Lewin that denying marriage to same-sex couples violates the Equal Protection

In 1996, Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA specified that the word ‘marriage’ means only a legal union between one man and one woman. This federal law was passed to prevent gay couples from nationalizing gay marriage by using Article IV, Section 1 of the Constitution, which states,

Gay marriage is where the same sex get married. But, not everyone agreed that that was a good idea. In June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage is a right protected by the US Constitution in all 50 states. There were many people that were against gay marriage. They said it was against their religion, that marriage is just to have children, and a child needs both a mother and a father.

Every little girl fantasizes about her big day, her wedding day. She has every little detail in her head, planning the venue, decorations, her wedding dress, and the most important, the man she will marry. A father’s most emotional day will be when he walks down his little girl down the aisle to give her to her future husband and his little girl will no longer be his little girl. Now times have changed, and little kids are confused about their sexuality, and as they grow up, they experience with different kinds of relationships. More and more little girls no longer think of the man they will marry, they may think of the woman they will be marrying. The father no longer hands his little girl to her future husband but to her future wife. Children are seeing gay relationships as normal, and are being taught about it in some schools. Having two moms and two dads in the 21st century, is legal in the United States. In biblical times, gay people were shamed upon, and if there were many of them, they would have been destroyed like the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. Many people feel different about the topic of gay marriage, and for years people have been fighting to make same-sex marriage legal. There are many strong viewpoints on gay marriage, and in reality there are two main camps one can reside in: Is gay marriage morally right or wrong?

Not allowing gay marriage in any state is unconstitutional. If one state is to allow gay marriage, then the people that get married in that state are supposed to be legally married in all other states of the United States (Hertz). The constitution states, in article 5, that anything

Historically when you looked up the definition of marriage in the dictionary, it defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. According to cbn.com, Merriam-Webster changed its definition of marriage in 2003. The revised version now defines marriage as the state of being married as spouses in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. Currently, in 2017 more sources have also made revisions to redefine marriage. They are now defining marriage as being between two people instead of being between just a man and a woman. For decades, same-sex couples have been deprived of the same rights that opposite couples have always had. The case of Obergefell v Hodges made a huge impact in the U.S. and have changed the

The right to same sex marriage has been involved within the Constitution as part of Amendments V, VIII, and XV. Marriage is both global and central. All across our country, in every region, every social class, every race and ethnicity, every religion or non-religion, people get married. Same sex marriage was a division of social and political. An example of a court case dealing with same sex marriage is Baehr v. Lewin. In 1993, Hawaii’s high court issues first-of-a-kind ruling that a barrier to marriage is discrimination, launching the freedom to marry movement. Three years later in 1996, a full trial took place and was decided that the same-sex couples are entitled to marriage licenses. Later in 1998, Hawaii amends its constitution with regard to marriage by exempting same-sex couples from protection of equality guarantee, giving legislature the power to define marriage as limited to a man and a woman. However, a year later in 1999, Baehr v. Lewin Hawaii’s high court rules that Hawaii’s constitution no longer protects lesbian and gay individuals with regard to their freedom to marry. As in today, some states in the United States did not approve the right for same sex marriage. On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to force same-sex marriage on all 50 states. According to the Supreme Court Justice page, “The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that there is a federal constitutional right to

The current major state and federal law that is affecting same-sex marriage is the Defense of Marriage Act , or DOMA as it also called. The Defense of Marriage Act is a federal law that allows each state to recognize or deny any marriage-like relationship between persons of the same-sex that has been recognized in another state and it also explicitly recognizes for purposes of federal law that marriage is "a legal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife" and by stating that spouse "refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife." When asking the people that I interviewed what their feelings were towards the Defense of Marriage Act and how it currently affects the issue of same-sex marriage and the interviewees who were for same-sex marriage felt that the law was inherently wrong and the person I interviewed who was opposed to same-sex marriage thought the law was good except for one obvious flaw with it.

Doma or The Defense of Marriage Act was passed in 1996 in efforts to stop same-sex marriages in fear of the debate in Hawaii. Doma this labeled gays as immoral, perverse, depraved, and an attack on God’s principles. Congress passed Doma defining marriage as between a women and a man for the first time in history (Stone, 2012). Congress was clearly influenced by religious beliefs in passing Doma, which makes this unconstitutional. The United states government provides many benefits to married couples such as federal employees are entitled to medical coverage, the spouse of an individual covered by Social Security is eligible for retirement and survivor benefits, and married couples who file joint tax returns usually pay considerably lower federal income taxes than individuals who file separately (Stone, 2012 p.1). However, gay couples are refused these rights under law. Gay couples are denied many rights making them second class in the eyes of the government. If the partner of a gay couple was to be hospitalized the other can be denied rights to see them because they are not considered family. If the partner was to pass away the family can come in and make all the decisions even though it might be against the wishes of the deceased. The family can then take everything away from the surviving partner that dedicated their life and love to. The

Nowadays, the question of gay marriage is one of the most heated and controversial. Over the years, same-sex couples are fighting for the legal recognition for their marriages and their right as parents. Parenthood is one of the most valuable experiences in a human life. After finding a partner, it is natural for people to want to raise children. Homosexual parent are the same in ability and commitment to raised healthy children. It would be a big step for improvement in our society to provide necessary support and rights for same-sex couples and their children.