Gay Marriage and Asian Culture Essay

Same sex marriage is very common these days, and has become legal in every state of the United States. The United States was founded as a Christian nation, however, same sex marriage has become legal. Yet,homosexuality is all around us, in the television shows we watch, the celebrities we follow, even the cartoon characters we like, and has become very difficult to avoid.

On the other hand, opponents of legalizing same-sex marriage have consistently outnumbered supporters, although by varying margins at different points in time, for instance, in 2004, just after Massachusetts became the first state to allow gay marriage, a joint survey by the Pew Research Centers Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & Press found that about twice as many Americans opposed legalization same-sex marriages (60%) as supported it (29%). More recently, an April 2009 survey found that same-sex stood at 54%, with 35% supporting the rights of gay and lesbians.

Gay marriage is not the only issue that is being discussed throughout America involving the gay community. In a particular study done by USA Today, results showed that when Americans were asked if they think homosexual relationships between consenting adults should be legal, 46% answered yes (“USA Today” 6). However, when asked if they would then favor a law that would allow homosexuals to get married, only 24% were in favor (6). This survey also showed the differences of peoples’ ideas based on if they attended church or not (6). The results showed that 73% of Americans who attend church weekly oppose the legalization of gay marriage and only 38% of those who don’t attend church oppose legalization (6). These results show that for many Americans, marriage is a religious agreement, but for many others, marriage is a right that should be given to all who want to partake in it.

Despite the historical aspects of gay marriage, all across the United States many hetero sexual and homosexual communities have spoken up about their natural rights, freedom of religion.

Same-sex marriage, a controversial social issue in the U.S. for several decades, is constantly evolving. When viewed historically, great change has happened in a short period of time, in the movement for same-sex marriage, given that until recently, no society in thousands of years has ever allowed it.

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

Between 1995 and 2000, the 28 states that prevented same sex marriages from being legal were Utah, Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Virginia, Alabama, Alaska, Iowa, Kentucky, Washington, and Hawaii. In 2000, the remaining 19 states didn’t have an “explicit ban on same sex marriages” which included Colorado, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming (Kranz & Cusick,

Since religion plays a huge part in America and its government, for many years gays did not have the right to marry, because it was consider as a “sin.” As Kory Schaff says in his article entitled, “Equal Protection and Same-Sex Marriage,” “Religious views that condemn homosexuality continue to influence the exercise of political coercion resulting in the use of state power to deny individuals equal protection” (133). There are still thousands of people who view gay as a “sin” and are actually not happy with the recent changes that happened in favor of gay people. But what made the government change its ideas and laws was the LGBTQ rights movements. Thousand of people, gay or not, came together and started peaceful marchs and praids to support LGBTQ community and fought for their rights, and they were successful to achieve what they wanted. But it is important to realize that they didn’t only wanted the right of marriage. That was a huge part of it, but they are still having marchs and praide because

This led to the legalization of gay marriage in all fifty states of the United States. The thirteen remaining states which had provisions against gay marriage prior to the ruling were no longer able to impose their provisions. Even prior to the ruling, a majority of Americans supported gay marriage. In 2001, it was determined via polling that 35-57% of Americans opposed gay marriage whereas in 2016 is has been determined that 55% of Americans support gay marriage with only 37% who oppose it. The US Supreme Court stated, “Well into the 20th century, many States condemned same-sex intimacy as immoral, and homosexuality was treated as an illness. Later in the century, cultural and political developments allowed same-sex couples to lead more open and public lives. Extensive public and private dialogue followed, along with shifts in public attitudes. Questions about the legal treatment of gays and lesbians soon reached the courts, where they could be discussed in the formal discourse of the law." President Obama publicly supported the ruling; however, opponents continued to be vocal in their dissatisfaction with the ruling. There was significant uproar against the ruling and many opponents argued that the ruling disregarded their religious freedom. Many opponents continued to refuse their services, including wedding ceremonies, to gay couples out of respect

Marriage provides both physical and psychological health benefits and banning gay marriage increases rates of psychological disorders. The American Journal of Public Health found that after their states had banned gay marriage they had a 37% increase in mood disorders, a 42% increase in alcohol- use disorders, and a 48% increase in generalized anxiety disorders. Banning gay marriage is against the constitution. It’s protected by Constitutions commitments to liberty and equality. The US supreme court ruled in 1974s Cleveland Board of

Homosexuality can be characterized as sexual attraction towards others of one’s own sex. In the United States of America, laws regarding homosexuality have evolved throughout the years. The United States is one of the free countries in the world, which other nations admire. America is nation filled with people of multicultural backgrounds and identities. Homosexuality in today’s modern world is still seen by many people as intolerable and wrong. However, in today’s growing society Homosexuality is beginning to become more accepted and tolerated. Issues surrounding the LGBT community have resulted in a wide range of political and social forces that have led to the acceptance and tolerance of homesexuality throughout the years. In traditional cultures, men and women marry each other and create children together. Same-sex couples were unheard off in the earlier days, because being attracted to people of one’s own sex was seen as an abomination by Christian churches, which condemned homosexuality. According to statistics, approximately one in ten American women and two in one hundred American men identify as homosexual. However, in younger generations homosexuality is morally acceptable and the statistical data on people who are identifying as homosexual is increasing. In the United States, same-sex marriage is allowed and recognized in some states, such as New york, Connecticut and New Hampshire. Other states are constantly in debate whether or not gay marriage should be

“In the year of 1996, the Defense of Marriage Act became a federal law. The act restricted federal marriage benefits and inter-state marriage recognition to heterosexual couples only. Gay advocates have been lobbying to remove those restrictions and redefine marriage to include same sex and bisexual adults arguing that accepting gay marriage would not harm heterosexual marriage and that religious restrictions on marriage are biased” (English). “About 18,000 is the number of gay couples that got married in California during the window when it was legal” (Press) for 142 days before the gay marriage legalization was banned due to citizens of the state voting for Proposition 8. Americans claim to have

Same-sex unions have go to the front line of American administrative issues in the last couple of decades, yet history has shown that it is a longstanding issue. The essential chronicled notification of same-sex social unions happened in the midst of the early Roman Area. Heads Nero and Elagabalus both married male slaves and history pros are very agreed that same-sex social unions were typical. However as Christianity, then another religion, grabbed compel, it 's approvals against homosexuality at last ensured that same-sex social unions lost backing. Honestly, as new Sovereigns themselves were at present Christians, another law in the Theodosian Code was issued, blocking same-sex marriage and making the offense punishible by execution. Consequently began a long history of Christian abuse of gay individuals.

For the most part, America was not at all the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. Most of the first countries were, in fact, smaller ones in Europe. Based on the article “Same-Sex Marriage: A New Social Phenomenon” by Charnie and Mirkin, the first country to ever legalize gay marriage was the Netherlands in 2001 (531). Followed by Belgium in 2003, Canada and Spain in 2005, South Africa in 2006, Norway and Sweden in 2009, Argentina, Iceland, Portugal, and Mexico City in 2010. Based on the chart provided in Table 1, after the legalization of same-sex marriage, the cumulative total of marriages increased by

Homosexuals are exactly the same as heterosexuals, looking for the right person to be with for the rest of their lives. But, because of the prejudices against the gay community, are not able to marry each other. Homosexuals are tired of being seen from a negative point of view and granting them the right to marry would help normalize homosexuality in American culture. They want everything that comes with a marriage: the licenses, the vows, the wedding rings, the anniversaries, the benefits, and even the responsibilities and routines. Denying the right to marry is a sure way to convey that an adult is unable to make adult choices and is still considered to be a child, who is incompetent and is unable control itself. This is an unfair assumption, and should not be made against others, even if their beliefs are different than ours or we don’t agree with their choices. Also, with marriage, the couple receives benefits that an unmarried couple would otherwise not receive. The lack of marriage can create numerous problems, like if a spouse is in the hospital, only immediate family members would be allowed to see patients. A partner could be near death and would not be able to see their significant other or have decisions made for them by their partner. If death were to occur, even very carefully drawn wills and strong lawyers have proven to not be enough if a family wishes to challenge a