Thaomy Tran
Professor Kathleen Gish
Sociology 1101-113
September 2, 2015
The Issue Of Gay Marriages Through The Eyes Of Sociologists
Gay marriages have been an ongoing event in the United States for many years. It was not until June 26, 2015 when gay marriage was legalized for all states with a five to four ratio. With gay marriage being legalized, there became many controversies in the nation. The most recent controversy was when a Kentucky county clerk was jailed after defying a federal court order to issue marriage licenses to a same-sex couple. She did not issue because she did not believe that homosexuality should be accepted in society. Many people agreed to the act but others opposed. There are many ways to look at homosexuality and here are three different sociological perspectives of how gay marriage is recognized. The perspectives are structural functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and conflict theory.
From the perspective of structural- functionalist, Christianity has been the religion that our founding fathers started us on since declaring independence. The faith of God in America is also very strong. One example to prove this statement is the Pledge of Allegiance. It is almost required in grade school that every student recites the pledge everyday before school starts. In the pledge, it mentions “under God” which contributes to the fact that most Americans are Christians. In a recent religious study, the majority religion of Americans is 70.6 percent in
Gay marriage has been an issue for a very long time and since some states are legalizing it, many worry that it would soon be added as an amendment. The topic of gay marriage brings up religious, legal, and many other issues. In "What's wrong with Gay Marriage?" by Katha Pollitt, the author supports gay marriage and wants it legalized. She states that there is no problem with gay marriage and it's all a matter of separating the church and state. But in “Gay ‘Marriage’: Societal Suicide,” by Charles Colson, the author opposes the idea of gay marriage and states that it will destroy society. Marriage is intended to unite a man and a woman together to bring children into the world, but due to the same-sex marriage,
"Gay Marriage in the US Supreme Court, 2015 - Gay Marriage - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
If you cannot beat them join them, this commonly used phrase is overlook and ignored by many. The power and value of this simple phrase holds in todays society is quite astonishing. Individuals ban together for a cause, influencing society and then enacting legislature to allow authoritive figures to enforce the common cause. Louisiana is a perfect example of this. The state lost government funding when they did not raise the drinking age. By pressuring, or as some say punishing, the federal government was able to use their authority to force Louisiana to coincide with the rest of the nation. More recently states are slowly but surely legalizing Gay Marriage. This is also an example of how slowly individual states are acknowledging the
Gay marriage has been a controversial topic that is highly debated all around the globe, containing many of its own varying viewpoints and beliefs on both sides of the argument. Those who oppose same-sex marriage believe that it is a sacred bond that can only be kept sacred between a man and a woman, and that same-sex marriage will ruin the sanctity of marriage. Also, if gay marriage is allowed they believe that it will open the door to other non-traditional relationships to be accepted such as polygamy. Finally other key oppositions come from religious beliefs and standards. However the many that support gay marriage usually argue that everyone should have equal right to be in relationships with each other and receive the financial, emotional, and social benefits of marriage. I mean who really would be affected if same-sex marriage were to become legal? Nobody. If everyone feels that there is that special someone whom they are perfect for and will fall in love with, gay people would feel the same way. They deserve equal opportunity to not only find that perfect somebody but to be able to love them and get married. Leading to parenthood, and while gay couples are not able to have children on their own, that doesn’t mean they can’t adopt children off the street. However, several times have happened where a gay couple were put at the end of a waiting list or even denied completely just because of their sexual orientation. Other benefits to marriage are also tax breaks and
The controversial issue of gay marriage has recently been very much part of the centre of media speculation, due to the fact that Australian Labour Party Leader, Bill Shorten, has lately been aver strong supporter of the American legislation which legalised gay marriage throughout the United States. I strongly support Bill Shorten’s sentiments. (State points)
Gay marriage is one of the most controversial issues in this modern world. In my opinion I do not consider “gay marriage” marriage, because marriage has always been a covenant between a man and a woman by its nature. When two men or two women “marry” it denies the reputation of keeping the human race and the raising of children. Gay marriage also violates the natural law, and we should follow “avoid evil and do good”, the natural law is for every human being in the world and we should follow it by marrying the opposite sex. I believe that Gay marriage is one of the most unfavorable law that could of happen. I am against this law because not only it breaks the natural law but it also brings more diseases to homosexual people and instead
The concept of gay or same sex marriage is controversial. There are a number of countries where homosexual couples are allowed to marry with their relationship gaining the same recognition as heterosexual couples; countries who allow gay marriage include Sweden, Spain, Canada, Iceland and Argentina. In the US nine states, plus Washington DC provide for gay marriages (FTM, 2012). It would appear that there is a gradual movement towards acceptance of gay marriage, but with only a minatory of people living in areas where gay marriage is accepted there is still a great deal of resistance, with a restatement of arguments against gay marriage, but when examining those arguments many are flawed and reflect fears rather than fact.
As this semester has come to a close we reach the inevitable end question, “what is truth.” This is a question which many of the authors we have read works from have differing opinions of. Through reading the works and listening to lectures through this semester I have come to the conclusion that truth is essentially whatever the person who is thinking about it decides that it should be. The people that decide what their form of truth is usually get it from people which have some type of power over them. We use these people which have a form of power over us to help decide what our own truths are and how we will go about enacting them. Christians for example do not believe in gay marriage. It is not part of their truth and most likely never will be. This is because they believe in the bible, and a god (higher power) which tells them that gay marriage is wrong. They use this information to decide what their truth is and how they will live out their lives. On the flip side of this there are many people who were raised, or influenced by people who are completely fine with gay marriage therefore those people whom they influence (the people I spoke of originally) also have that “truth” that gay marriage is fine. The thing that makes this important is the way in which both sides of this spectrum will defend their truth, and act as though it is the correct truth. When everything is essentially boiled down and looked at, truth is nothing more than an opinion one holds. Even things
For years there has been a debate on gay marriage and gay rights in America. Often government keeps pushing the issue back, or refuses to partake in the debates and discussions on whether or not this type of union is “legal” in the United States. My hope with this paper is to prove that gay marriage is not in fact unconstitutional, but that there is a right to freedom for everyone, no exclusions. When it comes to gay marriage, there seem to be a number of contributing factors that weigh in on the decisions made on the acceptance of gay marriage, most of which seem to be religious, but can also be very heavily weighed on political views. Though religion and politics should not intermingle and be the determining factor on whether or not people should have the right lo to love and marry whomever they see fit, they do play a major role on the gay community, and their own life decisions. Of course there all sorts of different theories on what could happen if the United States government allows for the gay community to marry people of the same sex, including accusations of beastiality and incest, there is no actual connection to these theories, only causing a panic in our society, and allowing fear of what may be make the decision for these people’s lives. My goal today is to touch on some of these political issues with the gay marriage issue, and the onset of an epidemic that may occur if they do allow
History teaches us that marriage has classically been between a man and a woman, but in the recent years, people have begun to challenge that notion. Gay marriage has been one of the most controversial topics of debate lately, dividing our nation into those who support the idea and those who oppose. It seems as though no matter who is asked, each person’s opinion falls to one side or the other. States have been similarly divided in their treatment of the gay marriage issue. Voters in some states have chosen to allow gay marriage, while other states have passed constitutional amendments to forbid it. Courts in some states have identified a Constitutional right to marry, and other states remain in a state of flux.
An American model and actress named Carre Otis once said. “Exposing any subject that is argumentative means risking judgement, but these are the topics that need to be talked about the most.” She, and many others, believe that a copious amount of controversial matters need to be resolved, and that can only happen if the public decides to stop ignoring these issues. Quite a few of these subjects have a more positive effect in the United States when they are foregone. Currently, in 2016, some of the most talked about issues are the right to have an abortion, the legalization of gay marriage, and the rights that gun owners have. These topics may be disputable, but if a person is fully informed they can see the obvious
There is presently much controversy regarding homosexuals and whether or not it would be wrong for society to accept marriages between same-sex couples. The masses express confusion regarding the homosexual community and individuals are generally inclined to discriminate homosexuals. While some consider that marriage is not actually an important thing and it is irrelevant whether or not a gay couple unites through official means, recent events show otherwise and it is apparently very important for a homosexual couple to have access to the institution of marriage in order for both of its members to be provided with a series of rights that are normally beneficial in the case of heterosexual couples.
The morality of same-sex marriage is a major controversial issue in the United States today. While Liberals believe that marriage should be the union of two people who love each other and that it should be legal for gay and lesbian individuals in order to ensure equal rights for all citizens, Conservatives believe that marriage is the union of one woman and one man only and that requiring citizens to sanction same-sex relationships violates moral and religious beliefs. Taking opposing viewpoints of this issue are both philosophers David Boonin and Jeff Jordan who discuss the public dilemma of same-sex marriage within their articles.
Marriage is one of the oldest, passed down traditions since the beginning of time. As humanity evolves through generations, traditions change, but the act of choosing your partner stays the same. For an example, not until President Barack Obama was in office, gay marriage was unacceptable. When President Obama announced that gay marriage was legal, that was a moment in history that will never be forgotten. The process of marriage continues to be the same, but each generation has been going out of their way to change the rules of how getting married is done. Young adults that are in their late 20’s have been eloping since the early 1900’s, however due to the change in society and how we operate and communicate, divorce has been becoming
Contemporary moral disputes are constantly ongoing around the world and in the United States. For hundreds of years marriage has been defined as the legally or formally recognized union of a man and a woman as partners in a relationship. Up until relatively recently the debate on gay marriage has not been a popular topic. Gay marriage has been illegal in the US and most countries around the world up until the early 2000s.[1] The debate on gay marriage has grown with more and more people publicly speaking and giving their opinions on it, especially in the Unites States.