Marvin Ellison's Analysis

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

From slaves and immigrants to women and gays, America has struggled with the principle of equality for all people. A principle that is clearly laid out in the 14th amendment of The United States Constitution, “No state shall make or enforce any law, which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” (14th Amendment Section 2) And yet the rights of millions Americans have be infringed upon from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s to even more recent history such as Gay rights. African Americans, Immigrants, women, and homosexuals toil till this day to achieve freedom from discrimination in a country that was built on the idea of freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Whether we like it or not, discrimination is a problem that has been occurring for thousands of years and is one that will continue to occur for years to come. American history has seen its share of discrimination, perhaps none more evident than the mid-19th century. Political tensions between northern and southern states concerning states’ rights and slavery sent the country into turmoil. The bloodiest battle in American history soon began and the country would never be the same again. However, after the conclusion of the war at Appomattox Court House, the definition of American citizenship and personal liberties would be changed forever. Unfortunately, discrimination has continued to take place within the nation’s borders against other groups of people. Recently, discrimination against homosexual individuals has been quite an intense topic of debate. Although I do understand the logic behind people’s beliefs, it is astonishing to me that there are people in this world that aggressively disallow others to be who they are and live the life that they so choose to live. Persecution of others for religious or political beliefs, although understandable, is a devastating problem to the entire world. In my eyes, how can America be the land of the free and the home of the brave when citizens are unable to be free in their choices and are forced to be brave to act against these unethical doings? We have seen reforms take place to minimize discrimination throughout

According to the Williams Institute, in the United States homosexuals are a minority, making up only three and a half percent (3.5%) of the adult population. Although it sounds like few people, that is over eight million adults who are being denied their basic rights of liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is unjust for American citizens who pay taxes, work, and live like other Americans to not have the same rights because they love someone who is the same gender as they are. A fraction of the United States does allow same-sex marriages, but it is not allowed in all states, and it is unconstitutional to deny homosexuals their basic human rights in any area of the United States. Although America is slowly progressing towards equality, the United States is falling far behind the rest of the world,

It is true that marriage in this nation traditionally has been regarded as a relationship exclusively between a man and a woman, and many of our nation’s multiple religions define marriage in precisely those terms. But with the Supreme Court has always previously considered marriage in that context, the underlying rights and liberties that marriage embodies are not in any way confined to heterosexuals. One’s sexuality is not a preference, it is immutable, unchangeable, and the Constitution protects us all against prejudices and discrimination based on immutable differences. Not only is not allowing same-sex couples to marry discriminatory, it also makes gays second class citizens. When we as a nation refuse to accord the same marital status to gays and lesbians, we discourage same-sex couples from forming the same relationships we encourage for others, and we are essentially telling gays, those of who love them, and society as a whole that their relationships are less worthy, less legitimate, less permanent and less valued. By not legalizing same-sex marriages the US demeans their relationships and demeans gays as individuals. Same-sex marriages must be legalized.

It is important that the U.S. government realizes how certain laws, policies, or attitudes they enforce can affect the public in many different ways. The 1900s were a trial and error period for lawmakers in regards to racism, sexism, and the growing LGBT community. Unfortunately, that created an extended period of time for society to legally and publicly humiliate certain types of people. Luckily time was all people really needed to move past their prejudicial views. Whenever civil rights become the topic of conversation, there is a fine line between acceptable and unconstitutional when it comes to lawmaking. However, law enforcement is only a portion of potential discrimination LGBT people face. Even now in 2017, certain societies still disagree with same-sex marriage, and there is nothing that can be done about that. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, as long as it doesn't affect how they treat others. Discrimination usually forms around something that cannot be changed. For example, if a woman doesn’t get equal pay because she’s a woman, it’s not like she can clap her hands and turn into a man to get more money. Instead, she overcomes the setback and finds a way to receive the pay she deserves because she is a woman, not despite it. The U.S. isn’t perfect, but its come a long way. If anything, that should give people

In addition to the hostility and embarrassment that homosexuals face every day, they also encounter political and legal policies and practices that prevent them from living a normal life like heterosexual people. For example, there are laws that prevent people of the same gender to be legally married to each other such as proposition eight in California. Gay people just want the right to be able to be happy with a significant other, make a family, and show their loyalty in each other through marriage. There is no difference whether that significant other is of the same gender or opposite, at the end of the day they just want that chance of happiness just like everyone else. Unfortunately, there are laws in places that prevent that from becoming true. Not allowing homosexuals to marry can affect many people’s lives and can even be detrimental to one’s health. For example in the article “The Case of Sharon Kowalski and Karen Thompson: Ableism,

Gay marriage has slowly become a significant factor amongst individuals of today’s society. On June 26, 2015, it was ruled out by the U.S. Supreme Court that gay marriage was now legal. The first thing that I thought was that “Wasn’t it already legal in the United States?” Well, apparently no it has not been legalized in the United States! (Dumb me.) The U.S. is known to be a nation of equality and gives everyone the freedom of the speech, but it is actually a nation full of racism, sexism, and homophobias. Our country gives us the freedom to do many things, but to gay couples they don’t have much freedom as others do. We are violating their freedom because we aren’t letting them marry the one they love, so to say that everyone in the U.S. has the freedom to do anything is wrong. Our civil rights and the Constitution give us many liberties. One of our civil liberties is the pursuit of happiness, which many homosexual people are not allowed to chase, but thanks to the new ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court homosexual people are allowed to chase it. They are being looked down at and are feeling ashamed of themselves because of all the cruelty that they are receiving. Homosexual people haven’t been able to fully express themselves until it was legalized for them to fully do so. They have been fighting for the right to be married to their same sex for about a decade now, and they have finally met their goal. #Lovewins.

Over the past five years same-sex marriage has become one of the most controversial issues in the United States, many social activist strive to aid homosexuals and their fight to legalize same-sex marriage. Marriage is a fundamental right not a privilege. Gay men and women should not be discriminated against based on their sexuality. Marriage is a sacred bond between two people that love each other no matter the sex, race, or religion. Everyday homosexuals are treated unfairly; most were born gay and cannot help their feelings. Being gay in America today is very difficult, you have to hide who you are just to be accepted. All homosexual’s really want is to be treat fairly and to get all the right they deserve, like

American nationalism can be described in the foundational terms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; however, these fundamental ideas are impacted across every state when equal rights intersect with the complex issue of marriage rights. Thomas Jefferson once said, “I never will, by any word or act, bow to the shrine of intolerance or admit a right of inquiry into the religious opinions of others” (Jefferson, 1900). When approaching the various stances on marriage, civil unions, and equal rights in regards to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community it is fundamentally important to follow Jefferson’s cue and approach the varied perspectives with an open mind. With the average person’s opinion on marriage

Legalizing gay marriage has given America a troubling debate throughout a majority of the states. With only thirty-seven states allowing legal gay marriage, the other thirteen have either banned it or are still deciding (unknown, 2015, para 1). Gay marriage is seen as different and wrong to so many people in America that is has become sickening. People do have their differences and as Justin Timberlake once said, “We’re people and we’re different, all of us. And we should be using our differences to bring ourselves closer together” and with this being said, everyone is equal to one another in different ways (Timberlake, 2014, 10). For example, two people could have two different religions, which is different, but also equal in the sense

Same-sex Marriage is a controversial topic. Everyday across the country, there are news stories about acts of discrimination, violence, or hate crimes against same-sex couples. It is very often criticized and looked down upon because many people think that this act is “against the bible”, or it’s “disgusting”, “gross”, or “not natural”. The discrimination against same-sex marriage is preposterous and discouraging. If you really think about it, they’re just the same as any other sexuality. We all have the same hopes and dreams. We all want happy, fulfilling lives, with families and successful careers. When we’re hurt, we all bleed the same blood. “All men are created equal”, yet gays and lesbians are treated worse than other people everyday.

America declares itself as the great country of liberty, the great country of opportunities and the great country of equality. As long as an American wants to marry a person of the opposite sex there seems to be no limits to their pursuit of happiness. Even in the progressive, modern year of 2015, the question of whether or not gay couples should be permitted to perform the act of a legal marriage divides the United States of America into two. Although more than half of the states have legalized gay marriage, fourteen states, including Kentucky, reject the idea of homosexual couples as equals to heterosexual couples. The fact is that an exclusion of marriage for gay couples is a limitation of their personal rights and is unequal, unfair,

Most people believe that they deserve the rights they are granted by the government. An upstanding citizen who pays their taxes, serves their community and abides by the law should be afforded the rights of an American. However, not all citizens are afforded equal rights. Gay and lesbians are consistently denied rights that are typically taken for granted by the average American. Specifically, gay and lesbians couples are denied the right to marry even if they are upstanding citizens. They are held at an unfair disadvantage solely because of their sexual orientation. This discrimination must stop because gay and lesbian couples are law-abiding citizens too, who should be afforded the same rights as heterosexual couples.

Today, America is still faced with segregation issues, only today it isn’t about the color of skin but about your sexual orientation. A private matter that is suppose to be between two individuals, whether they are heterosexually or homosexually married, has become an issue of society. When it comes to finding a job, getting married, and all the legal rights involved in a marriage, homosexual couples are criticized and in some states not allowed. If it is proven to be natural, meaning no one has control over the people they choose to love, how could one deprive another from that happiness?