Sub Topic-Same Sex Marriage - Portland State University



Sub Topic-Same Sex Marriage

Gay marriage is a highly debated subject within the LGBT movement, and while some people support the idea of marriage equality, other people are strongly against this idea. Obviously one would assume that right wing conservatives and religious fanatics are those who make up the opposition but they are not the only ones who oppose same sex marriage, surprisingly there are those within the LGBT movement who do not support it either.

Same Sex Marriage is the legal union between two people of the same sex and is legal in Belgium, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands and in the state of

Massachusetts . Same Sex Marriage is not just a means of declaring ones love and

devotion for ones partner but also comes with a lot of benefits that the

“traditional” married couple is given without hesitation. The U.S government

grants these rights to legally married couples: Access to Military Stores,

Assumption of Spouses Pension, Bereavement Leave, Immigration, Insurance Breaks,

Medical Decisions on Behalf of Partner, Sick Leave to Care for Partner, Social

Security Survivor Benefits, Tax Breaks, Veteran’s Discounts, and Visitation of

Partner In Hospital or Prison. There are also state level benefits that are

applied within the United States such as assumption of spouse’s pension,

automatic inheritance , child custody, divorce protections, domestic violence

protection, joint bankruptcy, certain property rights and many others .

Unfortunately, same sex partners are only offered these natural rights in

certain countries and states and there are many applied requirements and

restrictions such as residency. Alternatively some states allow same sex

partners to engage in what is known as a “civil union”(Vermont & Connecticut),

or “domestic partnership”(California) sadly these alternatives only grant same

sex couples to a small fraction of what legally married heterosexual couples

are given by the government . For instance same sex couples are not granted the

right of representation in every state, and because the

federal government does not acknowledge the civil union they have trouble when

filing taxes, applying for public benefits. Also it creates issues within social

security, sponsorship of a immigrating partner or the right to take leave from

work to care for a family member. As one can clearly see, gays do not have equal

protections or rights that are guaranteed and clearly stated in the U.S.

constitution. “Creating Equal access to marriage is the only fair way to ensure

equality for gay and straight couples alike.”_.

Why is Gay marriage such a controversy? First of all, those that oppose gay

marriage give strange explanations of their opposition, such as “gay

relationships are against god and are immoral” , “marriage is for the purpose of

procreation” , or “Same sex marriages threaten the institution of marriage and

its sacredness” Where all of these statements can be easily countered. First of

all, there is a supposed legal separation of church and state within the Us

Government, there for morality and or religion can not be brought into the

argument . Also, many of these religious fanatics seem to be selective in their

practice of following the bible where it also states that touching the skin of a

dead pig is unclean and a sin Lev. 11:6-8. I’m more than positive that over

half of the people who believe that homosexual activity is a sin against god

have played with a football or eaten bacon and eggs for breakfast. Obviously

things have changed since the bible has been written, society does not lock

a woman up when she is on her period Lev. 15:19-24. Nor is it legal or

acceptable to own slaves as long as they are from a neighboring country Lev

25:44. “The purpose of marriage is procreation” What about women who are

infertile ? Or men with vasectomy’s ? Do we deny them the right to get married?

Then we have the argument the marriage is sacred, well what about the drive-thru

Las Vegas chapels made for convenience not sacredness or Brittney Spears spur of

the moment wedding? Or the steadily rising divorce rates? Doesn’t that

completely destroy the sacramental aspect of marriage? How will allowing a

devoted and loving couple the human right to be legally and respectfully bound

further desecrate the blessed right of marriage? The answer is, it won’t.

Shockingly the right wing conservatives and the religious fanatics are not

the only people who oppose same sex marriage many would be surprised to learn

that there are those within the LGBT that oppose same sex marriage also. Mr.

Bill Dobbs a gay man who revels in the days of large gay communities and close

ties feels that attention surrounding the gay rights movement should be focused

elsewhere such as on the aids epidemic or the poverty crisis amongst gays. Mr.

Dobbs like many others also feels the fight for gay marriage seems to be a

uphill and tiring battle, and almost an idea forced on the gay community.

Another issue addressed by the opposition is that gay marriage seems more like

a submission to ‘normalcy” where being LGBT is not still seen as a conventional

lifestyle to all.

a website the focuses on the broader concept of marriage

communicates that in order to tackle equality in marriage for the LGBT

community we must first form alliances with other groups who deserve the equal

opportunity to be legally recognized as well. notes that all

families deserve recognition regardless of marriage, they should have the access

to the same legal and economic privileges that are given to married couples

regardless of sexual basis. There are many different kinds of families and

households such as blended families and extended families, single parent

households , adult children living with and care giving for their elderly

parents and many other types of households. also focuses on

the need for separation of church and state involving all matters including

legal recognition. It also addresses the need for freedom involving state

regulation of sexual choice, identity and expression.

Same Sex Marriage is also used as a political wedge between the different

political parties , their opposition and strong feelings toward the subject

define their party and create issue to win or lose with depending on ones

current standing.Parties of Liberals and Democrats are using this issue and the

?

potential for legislation involving Constitutional amendments to change its

current standing and definition while conservatives and republicans are doing

the exact opposite, trying to ban gay marriage completely. Currently the Defense

of Marriage Act is still in play and has been since 1996 which Prevents the

courts from using the Constitution to bring same-sex marriage to states that

have rejected it. This creates a hot button topic for politically parties and

until same sex marriage is completely illegal or legalized everywhere it will

continue to play a huge role in politics and society in general.

Overall Same sex marriage holds a lot of controversy and will continue to be

debated throughout the LGBT movement. Although we can conclude that those

involved in the LGBT movement whatever their position be regarding same sex

marriage feel they are supporting the right principle.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download