How dare the gay and lesbian community demand to be treated like everyone else! Who do they think they are human beings? The gay rights debate has been a hot topic for decades now. With recent promises from President Obama on ending Don't Ask Don't Tell and other limitations in the gay community, some are saying the end is near. I say are you serious?! Its 2009 people! I am baffled that we live in a so called "progressive" society, yet certain people are still being discriminated against and many feel it is ok.
Marriage is not a bond under God. Rather, it is a legal contract recognized by the American courts. Since the judicial process should be separate from religious doctrine, why should a religious position have any bearing on a civil process? This debate is not about religion, it is about how a state recognizes a person. When you deny two people from having a legal marriage contract, you are not just denying marriage, but their basic rights as American citizens. These rights would include visiting their partner’s child in a hospital, inheriting children from their partner if he/she doesn't have a valid will, obtaining joint health, home, and auto insurance, joint rental agreements and joint medical decisions. These basic rights that all heterosexual couples have and don’t even think about are being denied to same sex partners. Denying marriage to same-sex couples removes from one group a fundamental, important human right -the right to marry the person that one loves and to whom one has made a commitment. That is unfair and unjust in a democracy.
Our country has a bad track record for denying people their basic rights due to fear. A fear of people who have different colored skin, people of different genders, people with disabilities, and now people who love differently. Thankfully there has been some progress. Five years ago same sex couples were allowed to marry in Massachusetts. Today, 16,500 same sex couples have married in Massachusetts. Connecticut, Vermont, and Iowa have also adopted full marriage equality. 18,000 couples were married in California before Proposition 8 brought marriage equality to a halt. There is a constitutional amendment in the works that would define marriage as between a man and women, therefore making it illegal to marry the same sex. This goes against our founding fathers ideals of equality for all citizens, free of religious persecution.
One main argument against same sex marriage is that being a homosexual is a choice. Well, a disabled person doesn’t choose to be disabled; an African American doesn’t choose to be African American. They are simply born that way. So my question is how can a “valid argument” can be that homosexuals choose to be gay. No one in their right mind would choose to suffer the denial of human rights and discrimination that the gay community receives from society. Equality for all should be a belief of everyone in our country regardless of their personal beliefs.
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On the blog "Don't Tread on Me Blog," Mollie expounds on the topic of equal rights for all. She gives good point that every one should be given equal rights and that it should not be withheld from anyone and the reason we do not like to go to that depth is because of "A fear of people who have different colored skin, people of different genders, people with disabilities, and now people who love differently." It is true that every one should have equal rights, but who are we giving the rights to?
ReplyDeletePeople say being gay is not a choice you are born that way. If a child is beaten when he is younger and becomes a threat to his wife and kids later in life, is that his choice? If a boy is exposed to pornography at a young age and later on is threatening his marriage, is that his choice? If a teenager is exposed to drugs and becomes an addict, is that his choice? All of these are different scenarios that are cliche to the bone, but none of these people would choose this lifestyle, yet they still live it. Not to be all religious at all but it says we are born into sin (do not get angry at me for saying it is a sin, I did not say it, God did, as well as many other things). It is our choice to live differently from what our mind thinks of our own being, and I know people who have done so in many different lifestyles.
Now, back on track to government stuff. We see that people are not given the same rights and that it "goes against our founding fathers ideals of equality for all citizens, free of religious persecution." I did not know that being gay was a religion, I thought it was a lifestyle. A religion can define a lifestyle, but a lifestyle can not define a religion. Also, our Founding Fathers were godly men, I do not think that, if this was an issue at the time, they would have allowed for those rights to be granted to the gay community.
One thing I do believe they should allow for any two people to have are all the issues brought up, "These rights would include visiting their partner’s child in a hospital, inheriting children from their partner if he/she doesn't have a valid will, obtaining joint health, home, and auto insurance, joint rental agreements and joint medical decisions." I believe for these issues they (as well as the general public) should be allowed the same abilities. If two people could go into contract with another for cheaper health insurance, let it be done.
I think this is a wonderfully written article. Mollie mentions that, “When you deny two people from having a legal marriage contract, you are not just denying marriage, but their basic rights as American citizens.” I couldn’t agree more. She makes several excellent points to support her argument. One of these being, “Our country has a bad track record for denying people their basic rights due to fear. A fear of people who have different colored skin, people of different genders, people with disabilities, and now people who love differently.” This totally goes against the idea of “equality for all citizens”. In each of these cases, it has taken us a while to finally get it right (equal rights for minorities, women, people with disabilities). Why are Americans so scared of change and of others who don’t fit the typical American stereotype? Secondly, she points out, “One main argument against same sex marriage is that being a homosexual is a choice.” True, whether or not being gay is a choice or not, either way, no one desires or chooses to be discriminated against. So, why does it matter?
ReplyDeleteI believe that if more people were to just mind their own business regarding these controversial issues (abortion, religion, gay rights), the world could be a better place. Regarding these issues, why in the world does anyone care about how his or her neighbor chooses to live their life? Their choices and decisions are for them to take up with their own God, they have to live with them. It is NOBODY else’s business. People should respect the views and opinions of other people. You don’t have to agree with them or adopt their views and beliefs but they should be respected. This is what makes us all different, unique individuals. It is the beauty of being an American.