Should Gay Marriage Be Legal?

The United States of America was founded as a secular sanctuary for ideals like freedom, equality, and tolerance – few will argue against that. Over its history American culture has radically evolved as it strived to meet the ideals its nation was based upon, making changes like ending slavery and providing legal equality for women and minorities, changes that at the time seemed absurd but today are unquestionable merits that define what an “American” is. The quest to reach the ultimate utopian society continues today as true Americans fight the evils of ignorance, stubborn bigotry and the fear to change that still manifest themselves in a large portion of U.S. citizens, preventing this nation from moving forward. One of the outstanding minorities still left to be granted the ideals of freedom, equality, and tolerance are homosexuals trying to obtain the right to marry the person they want to spend the rest of their life with, regardless of gender. Same-sex marriages should be recognized in the eyes of the U.S. government in accordance with its responsibility to provide all American citizens equal freedoms.

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

A gay couple from Indianapolis who have waited to marry for years have been quoted as saying: “We 're positive because the mindset in this nation seems to be that it is unconstitutional to say that our marriages are different from any other marriage.” (pro-con,1) This means that gay people are staying optimistic. Prohibiting gay marriage is considered discrimination to gays because the government is not giving homosexual couples the same rights as gay heterosexuals, which is also unconstitutional. Therefore, same-sex couples should have access to the same marriage benefits and public acknowledgment enjoyed by heterosexual couples. (pro-con,1)

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.

This summer, the Supreme Court states that gay and lesbian Americans have the right to get married. This is certainly an important step in the new Civil Rights movement for LGBT equality, and has led to a more perfect United States. However, LGBT people are still not completely free from discrimination and abuse, there is much more society can, and should do, in order to advance LGBT equality.

As big of a step in the right direction as equal opportunity marriage is for the LGBT community, there is still more steps to take. They still have many social issues that they have to deal with such as discrimination and a lack of acceptance from our fellow Americans. Acceptance is always huge for a minority group and discrimination is something that nobody wants to endure. The problem is that often, people don’t consider the negative effects that they have on others. A study was done on students in 2009 on the

In the past few years all 50 states have legalized same sex marriage. The problem is same sex marriage is still not widely accepted in this American society. When people are getting arrested because they refuse to do their job and give out gay marriage licences that means there is a problem with the way that same sex couples are being treated. Gay marriage is a major hot button issue in America right now. To allow marriage or to not allow marriage has evoked a large argument that has caused many riots and problems. Gay marriage is the right for two people of the same gender to marry. But what most people do not think about is the benefits of marriage to this community of people. Society should work harder on accepting same sex marriage because it is not just about being happy (but that is a benefit), but it is a matter of decisions over life or death, money, and the life of children.

Gay rights and marriage equality has always been a major issue. Not only in the United States, but all throughout various cultures in the world. One of the main reasons why it is not widely accepted is due to religious or cultural reasons. Thankfully, more people have become more accepting of it and keeping an open mind about it. As of June 26th, 2015, gay marriage has has finally been legalized in all 50 states. However, there are still people who do not agree with it and still try to vote against it. Some Americans even want laws made to ban same-sex marriage and relations again. Although the legalization of same-sex marriage has been accomplished, most people continue to fight against those who still discriminate against the LGBT community.

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

Gay and lesbian rights should be handled just as earnestly and seriously as women and blacks’ rights since these three subcategories can fit into a slightly broader one of all civil rights. Similarly to race or gender, everyone is unique in their own way, but regardless, they are still considered human. Already, “the Whitehouse website lists same-sex marriage amongst a selection of civil rights, along with freedom from employment discrimination, equal pay for women, and fair sentencing for minority criminals.” If these considerations would be taken more seriously by the American society as a whole, a better world would be developed for each member of the country. In order to reach that point, there needs to be a more solid raising of awareness to achieve complete protection of all human

Based on a 2015 poll, 39% of Americans are against the idea of gay marriage (Changing Attitudes). However, this opinion fails to take into account that the United States characterizes itself with the phrase “Liberty and Justice for all.” Where is the liberty and justice for same-sex couples? Gay marriage is not something that Americans can dismiss without taking into consideration the economical boost that takes place because of it, the freedom of religion the United States promises and the rights that come along with it, and more importantly, the human beings who are affected that deserve liberty and equality just like the rest of the nation

Even though federal laws protect people from workplace discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, religion, sex, age, and disability, there is no federal law that specifically bans workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. All attempts to pass laws against discrimination of sexual orientation have been unsuccessful. The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination based on gender, race, religion, etc. Unfortunately, there is still no protection for the LGBT under the federal fair housing laws. So even though the US has legalized same sex marriage, there is still a long way to go for equality to anyone of a different sexual

The current major state and federal law that is affecting same-sex marriage is the Defense of Marriage Act , or DOMA as it also called. The Defense of Marriage Act is a federal law that allows each state to recognize or deny any marriage-like relationship between persons of the same-sex that has been recognized in another state and it also explicitly recognizes for purposes of federal law that marriage is "a legal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife" and by stating that spouse "refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife." When asking the people that I interviewed what their feelings were towards the Defense of Marriage Act and how it currently affects the issue of same-sex marriage and the interviewees who were for same-sex marriage felt that the law was inherently wrong and the person I interviewed who was opposed to same-sex marriage thought the law was good except for one obvious flaw with it.

“We’re here, we’re queer, get over it.” In 1990, these words, shouted and displayed proudly on signs waved by the activist group, Queer Nation, were revolutionary. Never, not since the Stonewall Riots, had non-straight, non-cis people been so vocal about their existence and demanded acceptance – something that straight people take for granted on a daily basis. However, in the years since the Riots, LGBT activism has become much more mainstream, no longer whispered about behind closet doors or something to be wholly ashamed of. Gay marriage is legal in all 50 United States, something that has been fought for since the conception of the LGBT movement. In fact, gay couples are routinely being featured on popular television and other forms of media. Some might say that in 2016, the dreams of the rioters in Stonewall have been realized. Marriage rights and the spotlight on nighttime television; equality seems to truly be right on the horizon.