Gay Marriage

One of the largest dividers in the U.S. is the issue of marriage equality. Marriage equality is the quest for equal civil and social rights for homosexuals. Currently, many Americans are unwilling to accept homosexuals and provide them with equal civil and social rights. Marriage equality is a problem because homosexuals feel oppressed by society. Similar to racial problems, people are scared of things that are different from societal norms and that they do not understand. In turn, they suppress and criticize homosexuals for their non-standard behavior. Marriage equality has become a topic of controversy in the United States. Legislation accepting homosexuals could improve society’s opinion on marriage equality. When people have a better understanding of something, they tend to form a more educated opinion on the

“Being gay is much more profound than simply a sexual relationship; being gay is part of that person’s core identity, and goes right to the very center of his being. It’s like being black in s society of whites, or a blonde European in a nation of black Asians” (Tamara L. Roleff). Although marriage, cohabitation and parenting styles of homosexual families pose no threats to the heterosexual society; many still believe same-sex marriage goes against its true purpose. “At the national level, American public opinion on the issue remains split (44 percent support legalizing same-sex marriage; 53 percent oppose same-sex marriage in a May 2010 Gallup Poll) even as opposition toward legalizing same-sex marriage is at its lowest point in decades

Marriage has always been a sacred agreement between a man and woman. However, as times have changed, our ideas involving marriage are forced to change with the times. Our country has developed throughout the years to enforce the belief that all Americans should be granted equal rights no matter what their skin color or cultural background. Granting gays the right to marry would simply be giving all people equal rights in the issue of marriage.

While some states have began to embrace the civil rights of all American people and allowing both hetero- and homo-sexual couples to marry, some states have done quite the opposite and banned same sex marriages and unions. Not all Americans feel so strongly about legalizing same sex marriage. Those against same sex marriage believe marriage has been defined as being between a man and a woman. However, that has not always been true, as explained in the beginning of this paper, the ancient people commonly wed the same gender and them and also had same sex sexual relations (ProCon.org). In fact in the first century Nero the Emperor of Rome married at least two of his lovers who were men (Chastain 19.) It was not until Christianity became a wide spread religion that sodomy and homosexuality became immoral. Those who oppose the legalization of gay marriage also believe that same sex marriage will threaten the institution of marriage. Marriages since 2011 have been at a new low, with only 52 percent of adults being married (Yen). However gays are fighting for the right to marry who they love, while heterosexual couples take that for granted. Divorce rates are currently lingering around 40-50% that is without gays being able to be married in many states. By allow homosexuals to marry their significant others, it will allow for a stronger bond and maybe bring back life into the deteriorating world of marriage. In states that do allow for same sex marriages, their divorce rates are

There are many controversies surrounding today's world, such as abortion, animal testing, and social reform issues. It seems that no one can come to a common agreement on the legitimacy of these topics. Personal characteristics, such as upbringing, culture, religion and ethnicity, all play a role in determining one's feelings on a given controversial issue. However, one of the most protested and discussed issues in current political debate is same-sex marriage. There is no right or wrong answer to this question, only hard pressed arguments expressing speculation regarding supposed outcomes, benefits and possible tribulations that would come along with the endorsement of gay marriage. Such ideas are shown

Over the past thirty years, there has been a general increase in support for homosexuals (Loftus, 2001; Treas, 2002 as cited in Lewis, 2009), as well as a rise in recognition of same sex relationships exemplified through President Barack Obama’s legalization of same sex marriage across the US in 2015 (Brewer &

In the United States, there is social unrest regarding the government's denial of the right to marry for homosexuals. Plenty of conservatives are completely against gay marriage; and many of liberals are fighting for equal treatment. The neo-Christian politicians are using religious arguments to establish that homosexuality is an abomination. While this may be their belief system, this country was founded on religious freedom, where the people are allowed to worship how they see fit. A ground rule, set up from the beginning, states that separation needs to be made between religion and government, so the two shall never meld to become a theocracy. With the issue of gay marriage, lines get blurred and religion

On June 24, 2011, New York passed a law that allows same-sex marriage since then, New York has become the largest state to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. Homosexuals have been gaining more rights in the 21st century yet there is still pressure for them to keep their relationships hidden or disguised from society. Since 2007 acceptance of homosexuality has been on a steady increase in most countries; the United States is one of three exceptions. Here in America, acceptance has grown by more than 10%. Despite this, endorsement is still only at 60%, which is less than more than a dozen other countries. Regardless of this increase, the U.S still lags behind the forefront of approval of homosexuality (Global Divide). With this in mind, I decided to test society’s views on homosexuality.

Recent political advances in the LGBT community suggest that the gay rights movement has progressed tremendously since the country's first known gay rights organization was formed in 1924. In fact, 14 states currently recognize same-sex marriages, and other states like Illinois will soon follow the same path (NCSL, 2013). LGBT rights were also championed at the national level with the repeal of DOMA. However, social progress often lags behind political reforms: while numerous states and the country as a whole are slowly accepting the LGBT community, laws do not necessarily guarantee social acceptance. 33% of the US population still believes society should not accept homosexuality (Pew Research Center, 2013). As a result of the large portion of the country still opposed to LGBT rights, homosexual men and women are affected by stress, loneliness, prejudice, out group bias, conformity, and a lack of a stable self-concept. All of these aspects of social psychology create a hostile social environment that can foster mental health issues such as depression (Meyer, 2003).

Should this nation have the right to deny a citizen equality? Overall, the answer should be no. Surprisingly enough, the majority of our nation says there should not be marriage equality because it is unethical. The topic of marriage equality has been around for almost fifty years and it does not seem to be going away anytime soon as it is still a very prominent discussion in our society. The very first time a couple of the same sex applied for a marriage license was in December of 1970. The couples’ names were Richard John 'Jack' Baker and James Michael McConnell. They were denied marriage whenever they came forward to be married. As a result, they tried to sue the County District clerk, however the supreme court sided by the clerk (Gay Marriage Timeline History of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate). Less than three years later Maryland became the first state to officially make same sex marriage illegal and many other states soon followed in their footsteps. What made them prohibit same sex in the first place and did they have a valid reason in doing so?

Gay marriages have been an ongoing event in the United States for many years. It was not until June 26, 2015 when gay marriage was legalized for all states with a five to four ratio. With gay marriage being legalized, there became many controversies in the nation. The most recent controversy was when a Kentucky county clerk was jailed after defying a federal court order to issue marriage licenses to a same-sex couple. She did not issue because she did not believe that homosexuality should be accepted in society. Many people agreed to the act but others opposed. There are many ways to look at homosexuality and here are three different sociological perspectives of how gay marriage is recognized. The perspectives are structural functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and conflict theory.

One of the most controversial issues around today is gay marriages. Many believe that the media is primly responsible for the idea of same-sex marriages, but when it all comes down to it there are really only two sides; those who support gay marriages, and those who oppose them. Two authors write their opinions on their opposite views on this issue. Sullivan (2002) supports same-sex marriages and believes marriage to be a universal right, not just restricted to heterosexuals. Contrary to Sullivan, Bennett (2002) believes that marriage is a sacred traditional family value that should be set aside for heterosexual couples. (2002)Throughout this essay, I will summarize both authors’ ideas and evaluate them through their evidence and

What does it mean to be gay and why does society discriminate against those who are deemed to be gay? This paper establishes that being gay is primarily based on the supposition that one is either homosexual, transgender, lesbian, or bisexual. It also establishes that one of the primary reasons why gays are discriminated against within the society is religion; that some of the views held by different religious conclaves substantiate gay rejection by the society. On a more personal rather than institutional level, this paper also reveals that the culture of gay is also largely rebuked based on individual philosophies and moral standings which is precisely the min reason as to why hate crimes against gays have in the past found a substantive projection. In the American socio-cultural fabric, the emergence of gays has generated a continuous debate about gay marriage; essentially whether it should be legalized or not. The debate has pitted religion verses gay rights activists who base their arguments on the equal rights protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution. In conclusion, this paper will elaborate on some of the some of the states that have inherently legalized gay marriage, the projection of the issue five years from today, and how society can assist in making the world a better place for gays.

Despite the much conservativeness by the some people, states and institutions, there are myriad reasons why gay marriages should not be condemned. From the pace that this issue is taking, it is clear that it has already had rots and therefore it has already become part of the society. On the basis of the need for a society to embrace that which is inevitable, it is crucial that the contemporary society learns to embrace the fact that gay marriage is there and from the look of things, it is there to last. This can be analogized with the confidence that is displayed by football teams. Every team believes that it is going to win against the other; otherwise it would not engage in the competition. Only one team wins at the end of the day. It is clear that the gay

Why are so many people against gay marriage? I myself am for allowing gay marriage, gay marriage gives hope to kids that don’t have parents to have parents. In the first paragraph, I will explain the positives of gay partners and if it benefits the children getting adopted. Alas in the second I will explain if children get treated different from peers or from family members or other types of social environments. Finally, in the third I will explain the negatives and the other side of this story to give you an idea of other people views. Let’s dig in and get started!