Essay about Intolerance of Homosexuals in a Tolerant Culture

In recent years, the debate over same-sex marriage has grown into a nationwide controversy, reverberating into the halls of congress, at the white house, in dozens of state and legislature and courtrooms, and in the rhetoric of election campaigns at both the national and state levels. As the debate rages on, the American religious community remains deeply divided over the issue, and over the morality of homosexuality. The debate has grown from an issue that occasionally arose in a few states to a national and even worldwide controversy.

The history of the gay rights movement goes as far back as the late 19th century. More accurately, the quest by gays to search out others like themselves and foster a feeling of identity has been around since then. It is an innovative movement that seeks to change existing norms and gain acceptance within our culture. By 1915, one gay person said that the gay world was a "community, distinctly organized" (Milestones 1991), but kept mostly out of view because of social hostility. According to the Milestones article, after World War II, around 1940, many cities saw their first gay bars open as many homosexuals began to start a networking system. However, their newfound visibility only backfired on them, as

The massive amount of people who believe and support LGBT should have the same human rights and equality say, “it's only fair they receive the same liberty to love who they love.” (Texas, Democratic Party, 1) Throughout the years, same sex marriage supporters have been increasing; “81% of adults under 30 now support marriage equality.”(Texas Democratic Party, 1). People have been making an effort to fight this case even since the beginning of the gay rights movement in the 1960s-1970s. Even before that though, homosexuals have tried to be seen equal, and of course, have an aspiration to be able to obtain the same rights as everyone else, which is to win over the Defense of Marriage Act, which was signed in 1996 by Presidential Clinton to be able to marry the person they love regardless of what their gender

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.

And now, gays and lesbians are seeking the same equal rights and protections enjoyed by other groups, including the right to marry.

In order to understand the issue of religious accommodation and LGBT rights in America, it is important to understand where certain beliefs come from; this can be achieved by having an understanding of the views of different civilizations that have influenced American culture and society regarding homosexuality and their evolution throughout the ages. A good place to start is with a well-known, highly sophisticated culture, the ancient Greeks. It is widely known that homosexuality in ancient Greece was not looked down upon by society. It is not uncommon for vase paintings, social commentary, and poetry to contain homoerotic scenes in which an older man and a younger man engage in sexual activity. An important thing to understand, however, is that this relationship was not thought of as homosexual, a term coined around the nineteenth century when homosexuality was made into a medical condition, but was referred to as eros, which is the Greek word for romantic love. In ancient Greece, most men would take a wife, with whom they had children, and also have younger male and female lovers which was not uncommon because,

Homophobia Through the years it would be delightful to believe that society has gotten more accepting of minorities. While in many ways this is true, it is also a false statement as well. The United States has gone through leaps and bounds over the last century. Women were the first to win their rights, and after that African Americans broke through the barriers of oppression.

America! What image of America is instilled in your mind? Perhaps a land where there are strong, hardworking men and women, whose children play baseball in the summer, get great grades in the school year, and even attend church every Sunday as a family. These are qualities of a traditional American family, increasingly becoming a thing of the past. We once were a God fearing nation and we’ve become a God challenging nation. America would lose its luster if gay marriage was legalized. Six states have already legalized gay marriage and approximately 41% of the United States population supports gay marriage (“Gay Marriage Statistics”). We all claim there is someone for everyone, and if someone loves another person, then let them be, but there is no value or moral in this

Looking back throughout history at the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender individuals, it isn’t hard to see that we have made the majority of our strides in the past 10 years. As a society we have decided the time is now to put an end to the lack of rights for people of different sexual orientations. Accepting LGBT individuals and providing them the same rights and protections as all other Americans makes us a more united, respectable Country. Everyone deserves equal treatment and opportunities regardless of what their sexual orientation may be.

“All men are created equal, No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words,” Harvey Milk. A homosexual, as defined by the dictionary, is someone of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex. Homosexuality is ethical, and I will provide rational arguments for, and irrational arguments against the topic. A few objections are as follows: It is forbidden in the Bible and frowned upon by God; It is unnatural; Men and women are needed to reproduce; There are no known examples in nature; and the most common argument that concerns homosexuality is whether it is a choice or human biology.

Homosexuality is not a 20th century situation but has been in history from the age of ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt, and even China. The attitude toward homosexuality always has been a variable, depending on the social, cultural and morality, or even the political development (Barnecka et al., 2005). Back in Greek history the concept of relations between two men was seen as the highest form of love, whereas the Judaic view always was against and frowned upon these relations considering it immoral and illegal. However, when the Roman rule was destroyed and the Christians took over Europe, homosexuality was seen as perverse (Woodward, 1997).

“The analysis also determined that the cost to businesses of providing benefits like health insurance to married same-sex couples would be about $69 million over three years” (Peters). Though there is a truth to these numbers, the positive economic effects of gay marriage far outweigh the negative. The same study cited by opposition also states that the economy of New York would stand to gain $210 million in the next three years if gay marriage was legalized (Peters). When New York did legalize gay marriage the economy did improve, and more money was gained. If all of America legalizes gay marriage this would cause a huge marriage boom. With this marriage boom, massive amounts of money would pour into the economy. Countered with all the negative expenses of legalizing gay marriage, e.g. health care, social security, etc., the net profit would be close to one billion dollars in the next ten years (Dickler). Money is not the only factor though. Legally gay couples have no rights to grant medical permission for one another in the case of an emergency. If one partner was in a medical emergency, the other partner could not sign off on any life-saving procedure because they are neither family nor married. In 1996, the United States ratified the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). This bill states that marriage is only between a man and a woman, and that even if one state allows gay marriage no other state is forced to

In this country there is a flawed assumption that gay people enjoy the same civil right protections as everyone else and there are a lot of stereotypes about gay relationships. Living as a gay individual in this country can be extremely overwhelming and scary. When it comes to marriage between gay couples, controversy is bound to turn up. There are numerous arguments as to why gay marriage is not “right” such as; it offends everything religion stands for, marriage is for procreation, and gay

Homosexuals want to have the same rights as heterosexuals in dealing with marriage, legal rights, and the acceptance of society (Wedgewood 63). It is a known fact that insurance rates are lowered for married couples. This is something that homosexuals want to have just as well as heterosexuals. Homosexuals want to get married so that they can commit to their partner. “Rights such as the right to spousal support and (in the event of divorce or separation) to alimony and an equitable division of property reinforce the generally shared expectation that marriage involves a serious mutual commitment to long term economic and domestic partnership” (Wedgewood 63). Same sex marriage would not keep anyone from getting married normally; neither would it change what the definition of marriage is either. The argument over gay marriage is not some small subject. “either we win—or we lose the central meaning of marriage” (Gallagher 69).

Allowing same-sex marriages would change the basic definition of marriage. Marriage is an important commitment of a man and a woman who contribute to civilization. Therefore, the loss of contributions due to someone’s sexual orientation should not be rewarded with a privilege such as marriage. Same-sex marriages affect many factors such as children, the concept of marriage, and humanity. However, it is not a misdemeanor to love somebody of the same gender but it can rigorously damage many aspects of life.