George Chauncey, Why Marriage?

On June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage is a right protected by the US Constitution in all 50 states. Before that decision was made, same-sex marriage was already legal in 37 states and Washington DC, but was banned in the remaining

Just 43 years later, on October 6, 2014, the Supreme Court turned down appeals from states where gay marriage bans have been overturned, bringing the number of states supporting legal same-sex marriage to thirty-five.

The state of Vermont accepted and promoted same sex marriages by classifying them as “civil unions” in order to maneuver around DOMA. Vermont believed that “civil unions” would provide lesbian and gay individuals with financial and emotional benefits that are accessible to heterosexual individuals who are married (Kranz & Cusick, 2000). Vermont’s objectives were to provide an inclusive versus separation and discrimination reality for fellow Vermonters (Kranz & Cusick, 2000). In 1998, Hawaii’s state legislation implemented the DOMA amendment that altered the state’s constitution and rejected same sex marriages. “28 states passed laws preventing the recognition of same sex marriages” (Kranz & Cusick, 2000).

In The Gay Marriage Case, Obergefell v Hodges, the United States Supreme Court decided that a state may not prohibit same-sex marriage. Instead, it emphasized that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to the gay society through the Due Process Clause of the 14th amendment of the United States of America Constitution. The involved decision maker in the case was Justice Anthony Kennedy, who gave four primary reasons for his decision.

On June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that the US Constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry. Many conservative groups do NOT agree with this decision. The gay marriage debate has been simmering for as long as I can remember. The four articles I have selected give information from four different perspectives including that of liberals, conservatives, homosexuals, and orthodox Jews. With so many differing opinions, one can understand why it's been so hard for the nation to come to agree on this issue.

After Mayor Newsom of San Francisco allowed many gay couples to marry beginning on Valentine’s Day in 2004, many Americans became more aware of the issue (Taylor 3). Newsom, a heterosexual, Jesuit-educated son of a prominent state judge, is an unlikely person to support the gay community in this fight (Breslau 40). Newsom was shocked after hearing President Bush’s comments about preserving the “sanctity of marriage” and stated, “I had just taken an oath of office not to allow discrimination. It was pretty darned clear what my obligations

In the summer of 2015 the U.S supreme court ruled in favor to legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 countries in the United States. This all occurred because of the Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) case. This very important case involved “14 same-sex couples and two men whose same-sex partners are deceased” and the couples argued that the “state officials violated [their] 14th amendment by denying them the right to marry or to have marriages lawfully performed in another state given full recognition and also violated their equal protection Clause. The supreme court ruled for this case because in the 14th Amendment it clearly declares that all people should have “equal protection under the law”, regardless of race or ethnicity.

And In 2000 Vermont became the first state to adopt a statute providing for a civil union for same-sex couples. (http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/baker-v-vermont) A coalition supporting gay rights had brought a case before the Vermont Supreme Court on behalf of gay couples, Baker v. Vermont. The plaintiffs asked the Court to make sure that gay couples were not excluded from the same benefits and protections that straight couples have. http://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/baker-v-vermont.

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.

On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme court ruled gay marriage as a constitutional right in all 50 states. This was a tremendous achievement for the LGBT community, it was the beginning of acceptance. Even though the Supreme Court passed this ruling

"Getting the Facts: Same-Sex Marriage." Family Research Institute. Family Research Institute, 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2012.

In Supreme Court rules in favor of same-sex marriage nationwide we are able to see the slow progression of one of the most debated issues ever presented. The topic of gay marriage seemed to linger in every United States court room,

“I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage. But when you start playing around with constitutions, just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that 's not what America 's about. Usually, our constitutions expand liberties, they don 't contract them,” President Barack Obama says. Soon later, on July 26, 2015 President Barack Obama declares that same-sex marriage will be allowed in all states of America. The United States Supreme Court ruled that the denial of marriage licenses to same-sex couples and the refusal to recognize same-sex marriages being performed is no longer allowed in the US. After the announcement, the country went lunatic.

The struggle for marriage equality in the United States began in the 1970’s. It became more prominent in 1993 when the Hawaiian Supreme court declared that state’s prohibition against marriage between people of the same sex to be unconstitutional (Weiss, 2013). In response to this, there was significant public outcry and opponents of marriage equality asserted that marriage could only be defined as a union between a man and a woman. This resulted in prohibitive legislation that was enacted in 1996 known as the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) DOMA prevented the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages (Baker, 2013). DOMA also allowed each state to refuse recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other states. Be that as it may, in the 21st century, public and legislative support for marriage equality has grown and various national polls conducted since 2011 show that a majority of Americans support marriage equality (Live Science Staff, 2011; Newport, 2011). On May 9, 2012, Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to publicly declare support for the legalization of same-sex marriage. The provision of DOMA, forbidding the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages was struck down by the Supreme Court on June 26th of 2013. In the ensuing two years, 36 states, the District of Columbia, 24 Native American Tribal jurisdictions and Guam had legalized same sex marriage. However up

On Apr. 28, 2015, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges on if gay marriage is a right given by the U.S. Constitution or the gay marriages that have been legalized in the states must be recognized in states that have banned gay marriage. Now that everything has been talk