Gay Marriage, or just Marriage?

Most people refer to the marriage between two people of the same sex as gay marriage. This is just another way to separate the people deemed different from society from the people deemed normal to society. The only way that us, as a society, will be able to move on from the whole gay marriage argument is if we stop thinking about it as something different than normal, stop calling it gay marriage and just call it marriage! You wouldn't go up to someone and say, "hi I'm straight Steve." You would say, "Hi I'm Steve." There is no reason as to why we should have to call any union gay. Or should we start calling the marriage between two straight people straight marriage? No, right? That seems ridiculous. So think about that next time you hear or see something about gay marriage.

Let's Bring Religion Into It

As many people are aware one of the main arguments against gay marriage is that it goes against people's religion. The Catholic church's definition of marriage is: "covenant by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring." So even if it didn't state that it was between a man and a woman a gay married couple would still not be able to fulfill all the requirements because they are not able to procreate. The original purpose of marriage was to be able to have children in order to keep the human race alive, and with a gay marriage this purpose remains unfulfilled. Also, keep in mind that the freedom of religion is in the United States Constitution and there is no amendment to accommodate gay marriage. So, should gay marriage, even though it is currently legal it might not necessarily stay that way,  remain legal? And does it infringe on some people's religious freedoms? These are important questions to consider when developing your viewpoint on this subject.

Whose Freedom is More Important?

Freedom is one of the original factors that separated the United States from the rest of the world. We were the first (modern day) democracy and had more freedom than any other State in the late 1700's and early 1800's. Today, some Americans still take pride in our early successes in the field of gaining  and maintaining freedom, but are we still a nation that can pride itself on its pursuit of freedom?

A 2012 Texas Republican Candidate Platform suggested that it was all about preserving our American freedom. Sounds great right? Wrong. Later in that same document they talk about making it a felony for homosexuals to have consensual sex. They want to preserve your freedom, but only if you aren't doing things that they dislike. Up until 2015 gay marriage wasn't legal throughout the United States until September of 2015. Making it the 17th country to legalize equal marriage. The following is a list of who legalized/ will legalize equal marriage and when:

Netherlands (4/2001)
Belgium (6/2003)
Spain (7/2005)
Canada (2005)
South Africa (11/2006)
Norway (1/2009)
Sweden (5/2009)
Portugal (1/2010)
Iceland (6/2010)
Argentina (7/2010)
New Zealand (4/2013)
Brazil (5/2013)
France (5/2013)
Uruguay (8/2013)
Mexico (6/2015)
Ireland (8/2015)
United States (9/2015)
Finland (3/2017)

So, whose freedom is more important? That of everyone or that of a group of people? Gay/ equal marriage is an expansion of freedom, not a reduction of it.


"Same-Sex Marriage." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.

Corvino, John. "Same-Sex Marriage Furthers the American Values of Freedom and Equality." Same-Sex Marriage. Ed. Tamara Thompson. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "The Case for Same-Sex Marriage." Debating Same-Sex Marriage 83 (2012). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.

Daughter Raised by Same-Sex Couple Speaks Out Against Gay Marriage

This video is a few years old, but the message is still the same. Equal marriage is something that should be available to all people everywhere. Even though now it is legal, it isn't accepted by everyone. There are still those who oppose equal marriage for reasons that are nonsensical.

The Cost of Raising Children in Same-sex homes

A typical wish for most married couples is the possibility of children. This is no different for same sex couples, except for the fact that they, on their own, cannot procreate. This, however, does not stop same-sex couples from adopting children to call their own. This seems to be a solution to the overwhelming amount of orphaned children, but is being raised by a homosexual couple doing more harm than good? Studies show that boys raised by lesbian couples are less masculine and that girls raised by lesbian couples are more masculine. This is detrimental to our beloved patriarchal society. It is expected that men are strong and, for lack of a better word, masculine, and that women are compliant and feminine. If we allow for our future generations to be raised by same-sex couples then we will be destroying everything that we know. Also, children raised in homosexual environments are more likely to have a homoerotic relationship. So, by allowing our children to be raised in homosexual homes they are more likely to become homosexual and we are allowing our society as we know it to be destroyed.

Judith Stacey and Timothy Biblarz, "(How) Does the Sexual Orientation of Parents Matter?" American Sociological Review66: 159-183. See especially 168-171.

Why Discriminate?

What is the point of discriminating against the LGBT community. How is it fair that just because someone is different they shouldn't be able to marry who they want to? You don't see gay people trying to ban straight marriage because it's "gross" or "unnatural." This is an example that should be followed by all. I'm not saying that all straight people are the problem, I'm just saying that this sort of discrimination shouldn't be happening. All people were created equal, and they should be treated as such. If some people were able to remember the golden rule from kindergarten then maybe they would have a different reaction to gay marriage, or "marriage" as it should be addressed. There is no harm being done to heterosexuals due to gay marriage, so they should accept that times are changing and adapt.

The Price that Children have to pay

In a same sex marriage with children involved there is price that the children will end up paying. The children are lacking a parent from both genders and this can cause emotional damage. When being raised by a same sex couple a child is disconnected from gender cues from the people around them, they often feel resentment from being disconnected from one or two biological parents, or wish they had a role model of the opposite sex. On top of that they are being thrown into the middle of moral hazards which can be extremely stressful for children. If children were to be raised by parents from both genders then these particular sources of stress would be eliminated from their lives.

Lopez, Robert Oscar. "Children Pay a Lifelong Emotional Price for Same-Sex Parenting." Same-Sex Marriage. Ed. Tamara Thompson. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Justice Kennedy's 40,000 Children." Public Discourse (2 May 2013).Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Dec. 2015.

Benefits to Society

Equal marriage is typically viewed as a negative aspect of society. However there are benefits to society from equal marriage. For example it promotes equality and non-discrimination in society. The legalization of equal marriage was a very important step in reducing homophobia in our country. This law showed the people of the United States that LGBT are also people. 

With the legalization of same-sex marriage the marriage industry is making more money than ever before. Nearly $260 million was injected into the New York City economy the year after gay marriage was legalized. Even large businesses recognize the importance of recognizing gay marriage in order to retain more LGBT staff and customers. This also helps businesses become more lucrative, over-all helping the economy.

Lipp, Murray. "Same-Sex Marriage Benefits Society in Many Ways." Same-Sex Marriage. Ed. Tamara Thompson. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "7 Ways the USA Benefits From the Legalization of Gay Marriage."  Huffington Post (2 June 2013). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.