Introduction
The legalization of Gay marriage has stirred a lot of controversies in America, and the world in general. Traditionally, marriage has been rooted in many cultures, practices and even traditions, as the union of a man and a woman. Same sex marriages or relationships have been prohibited all along, and people that went against these practices were often termed as outcasts. But in the recent years, the rate of gay marriages and relationships has been on the rise. This has stirred a lot of debate on whether they should be legalized or not. Movements and societies have been formed to protects the gay rights and ensure that their traits are accepted by the society.
The church and some individuals in the society, including politicians and Anti- gay movements, have been beating their heads on the wall trying to come up with reasons why it should not be legalized, and at the same time, trying to convince the states that have accepted same sex marriages to overturn the courts decisions. As the society evolves, the traits and changes that come with it should be embraced. The society has come from far concerning so many issues, from racism to accepting divorce in the marriage institution. All these factors do not matter in this day age and age in America. Same way as these was accepted in our society, so should homosexuality be accepted. Gay marriages should be legalized, amidst all the controversies that come with it, since intimate matters should be of private concern and the society is evolving.
The circus of Gay marriages
Gay marriages have been in the community for a long time, but the controversies of these relationships rose up in 1990’s, when a court in Hawaii ruled in favor of a gay couple that had been denied the right to marry each other, in 1996. This decision stirred a lot of debate where many people were against it and termed it as an abomination. The constitution was later changed to prohibit same sex marriages in the state. This debate became more than a state matter since it blew the interests of people to a national level. These debates have been ongoing up to date with parties from both the opposing and the supporting side exchanging words, each in favor of their side. Canada allowed same sex marriages1n 2004, saying that prohibiting gay couples from their rights will be a matter of discrimination.
America has followed suit in legalizing gay marriages where states like Massachusetts passed a law to allow same sex couples to marry. It goes without saying that a great deal of politics has also been associated with homosexuality, where some of the politicians are against it, and others are in favor of it. The marriage institution is under both the law of any land, and under the laws of the church, or any religion for that matter. Some people therefore argue that each state should have laws governing the marriage institutions in their own states, others argue that as much as the church and the government have laws concerning the marriage institution, it should not be any of their concern especially when it comes to who marries who in the society (Burns 45). In America, sixteen states already allow marriages of the same sex couples. In 1996, the U. S congress passed the DOMA law (Defense of Marriage Act), in an attempt to define and limit marriage to only a man and a woman, and not people of the same sex. A group of activists took the matter to the high court in 2005, but the case was overturned by the U. S Eight Circuit Court of appeals the next year, 2006. Later in the year, the same court held that DOMA was unconstitutional and was depriving homosexuals the equality rights that they should be enjoying. The Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional for the federal government to deny same sex married couples their rights, saying that it was unconstitutional. They made this ruling on 26th June 2013, but it is only limited to the states that have legalized same sex marriages(Family Guy).
Anti- gay movements
Anti- gay movements have been widely recognized for not supporting same sex marriages. Their campaigns to stop legalization of gay marriages have worked in some states, where and have opposed any form of legal protections on gays. These restrictions include denying gays rights to protect their families and rights to bond with their children (Rimmerman and Wilcox 179). However, these movements have been associated with the spread of mere propaganda concerning gays in the community. Their claims on the ‘evils’ that these unions bring are baseless. Some of anti- gay people claimed that the gay people were mostly involved in crimes, and that they actually perpetrated most of the crimes in the country. They were accused of dealing in drugs, and being the, main of the widespread of sexually transmitted diseases. All the claims were baseless and they had no prove of them, because, for example, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, is also experienced among many straight marriages, especially due to infidelity.
Gay marriages and literary works
Many productions have been coming up recently, especially in the motion pictures word, all in support of gay marriages. They all depict families with gay people, from parents to the children and how they cope with each other, the love and harmony that they have in their families, despite their sexual orientations, for example, Family guy, the Simpsons and the likes. Comic books too have had their own share of the story with Astonishing X-Men comic series, depicting the marriage of the super hero, Jean-Paul Beaubier to his partner Kyle Jinadu. All these works at aiming at promoting the same sex marriage institution, and letting people know that the sexual orientations of individuals do not affect their productivity or their way of associating with other members of the society (Astonishing X-Men).
Why it should not be legalized
The marriage institution has been known over time to contain a relationship between a man and a woman; a relationship that is made through understanding, love and more importantly, the sexual relationship which is the proper pro- creation process. Gay couples cannot bear children of their own, even with the advanced technologies in the present day and age, which will force them to adopt children. One of the most important things of bringing up children in a family made up of a woman and a man is that, they will get to experience the worlds of having both a father and a mother. This will be hard for children brought up in gay marriages, because they will get to experience the worlds of having either two mothers or two fathers. This will be violence against the children’s development process as their world will not be in the best or the agreeable environment for human development (Burns 27). Its legalization will also be undermining the natural sex laws that people know, and have been practiced for ages now. Children will be brought up in confused society that does not know how to support and fight for the morality of its people.
Homosexuality and religion (why it should not be legalized)
Religious leaders have been on the front line to bar same sex marriages and relationships. The bible has been used as the main guide to morality in the society over the past centuries. Many verses can be quoted from the bible, where the institutions of same marriages have been termed as evil and unreligious. The punishment of these practices has also been detailed, with eternal life in hell being the main highlight (King James Bible, Rev. 21). Christian leaders argue that same sex marriage is not only prohibited in Christianity, but across all other religions. Their stand against this debate is one that has been held for a long time, and they are still going strong, with some even suggesting jailing and even killing of people found marrying from the same sex. Some of the religious institutions may be adamant on providing services like accommodation, employment, adoption and others to same sex partners. It still doesn’t matter whether these religious leaders support it or not, bottom line is, if homosexuality is legalized, this will be against the laws and commandments of God. From the beginning of the world and creation, in the Garden of Eden, God mad man (Adam), in His own image, and later on, made a woman for him from his rib, Eve, and told them to go fill the world (King James Bible, Gen. 1). Pro- creation and marriage institution was set to be between a man and a woman, right from the beginning of the world, not between a man and a man, or a woman and a woman. Legalization of these unions will therefore be against the laws of the church and the laws of creation in general.
Gay marriage and other laws (why it should not be legalized)
The legalization of same sex marriages has been argued to bring about a spin in the legalization of other unacceptable traits and behaviors. Many have argued that if it is legalized, laws on incest, polygamy and even bestiality. Many religious leaders and activists have associated homosexuality with bestiality, polygamy and pedophilia among others, and they argue that, if homosexuality is legalized, we will observe a wave of moral values erosion in the society. Children will be brought up in a society with no moral values and will be led to believe that homosexuality is an ideal lifestyle and an acceptable trait. The rates of children molestation will be on the rise in the society (Rimmerman and Wilcox 179). It is believed that the legalization will make homosexuality more acceptable in the society, lead to the fracture of the family system, and it also can be a major setback on the scale of the Supreme Court when it legalized abortion. Activists believe that the fight will be long with the court, so as to overturn the court’s decision.
Advantages of legalization
It is believed that legalization of gay marriages will lead to an improvement in the lives of heterosexuals. Due to the stigma that come a long with coming out of the closet; many gay people do not come into the light. The need to be accepted by the society, whether in family and social gatherings, the wish to be accepted by people around just like any heterosexual person and the fear of being denied employment and other societal values, have led gay people to unwanted marriages. Most of the gay people have been married to people they really do not love just to hide their identity from the society. These fraudulent marriages are not good, for both parties, and even the children. If the same sex marriage institution is legalized, the high rate of divorces that is being experienced at the moment will go down; since gays will stop marrying people of the opposite side to just enable them hide their sex orientation. A reduction in the divorce rates will promote more stable families in the society and due to this; many children will be brought up in stable families. Another advantage of these marriages is that many orphaned children will get stable families, and be brought up in much better conditions when they are adopted. This will lead to the improvement of struggling communities: for example, the number of children who will be homeless and in the foster system will go down (Alvear 1).
Another importance of legalizing gay marriages and relationships is that the rate of suicides associated with gay teenagers will reduce. Teenagers and young man and ladies have been committing suicide for the reasons quiet obvious; negativities associated with homosexuality. They feel different from their age mates and they alienate themselves from their peers for fear of being bullied. This alienation and lack of somebody to talk to makes them feel lonely and they are usually in their own world mostly. This leads to suicide since they that feel no one understands. Others have turned to substance abuse to just relieve them from the guilt of being different from the rest of the world. All these factors, especially substance abuse, lead to high rates of crime in the country, especially among the youths and teenagers. Legalization of same sex marriages will help them feel acceptable to the society, and due to this, they will no longer have the urge to turn to drugs for refuge, or suicide for that matter(Moats 45).
This discrimination against gay people hurts everyone in the society, whether they are gay or not. When the gay in the community are not accepted, they end up marrying people they do not love, and being in the closet about their sexual orientation, their partners may be really in love with them. The gay person in the marriage will be hurt, since they will feel unappreciated and not satisfied. A marriage should have the happiness and satisfaction of both parties, failure to which, it seizes to be a stable relationship, and it faces many challenges. The other party in the relationship will also not be satisfied because their partner will not be comfortable sharing the many aspects of intimacy with them. This is what leads to divorces, hurting both parties, especially those who had no idea that there partner was gay. If that family had children, their dreams and hopes of growing up in a complete and happy family are shattered. They become the laughing stock among their peers, who do not appreciate gay relationships, due to what they hear from the society about them. These factors can all be avoided if same sex marriages are legalized in the country, and in all the states(Gay Marriage opponents).
Though Christians tend to hate on the gay people and condemn them, it leaves the question of what happened to the biblical commandment of loving one another. This legalization will be able to open up their minds and even their hearts to their gay brothers and sisters. In turn, this will promote the spirit of togetherness in America, where people can interact without hating each on other based on their sexual orientation. A more co-ordinate community, that is united by love and peace progresses both economically and socially, and this, will be at the advantage of everybody in the country.
Conclusion
Same sex marriage should be legalized in all states since it has many advantages, and with the changing society, people should learn to embrace these changes. When it is legalized, the perception of people will change over time and all will be the same within no time.
Works Cited
Alvear, Michael. “Q: Would thhttp://minfin.com.ua/currency/nbu/e Legalization of Gay Marriage
Result in a Net Benefit to Heterosexuals? Yes: Divorce Rates Triggered by Fraudulent
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King James Bible.Ed. Gordon Campbell.Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.
Rimmerman, Craig A., and Clyde Wilcox.The Politics of same- sex marriage. Chicago:
