Same Sex Marrigaes I Do or Dont

Same-Sex Marriages:
"I Do or Don't?"

There are issues brewing all the time that catch somebody's eye at one time or another. Issues such as abortion, single-parent families, the homeless, AIDS, politics, euthanasia, and same- sex marriages. Same-sex marriages caught my eye as an issue of 1996 which people should be aware of. Not necessarily because of gay and lesbian rights, but because they are people too and why should they be permitted on how far they are able to take their relationships because of state and federal laws?
The Hawaiian Supreme Court in 1993 ruled the prohibiting of same sex marriages because it is sexual discrimination and is a violation of the state constitution which also contains an equal rights amendment. This ruling was significant for gays and lesbians in the United States because it opened the eyes of close minded people in our country which is supposed to provide "liberty and justice for all". As written by Sullivan, gays and lesbians "... what we seek is not some special place in America but merely to be a full and equal part of America... or live as second class citizens" (26). In some states, they are changing their way of thinking, as in Minnesota. "A Minnesota appeals court granted guardianship of a woman left quadriplegic in a car accident to her lesbian lover" (Quindlen, 580). In New York, a judge approved the adoption of a six-year old boy by his biological mother's lesbian partner. These three states are pointing in a positive direction and hopefully they will influence other states to do the same and accept same-sex relationships.
Why is marriage so central in gay and lesbian hopes? Like every human on this earth, they meet a person they truly love, they "want to commit to that person in front of our family and country for the rest of our lives" (Sullivan, 26). Marriage is a beautiful commitment shared by two people who love each other, it should not be limited to heterosexual nor homosexuals. Homosexuality is not a choice, and where there is no choice, there can be no moral issue.
Gay marriages also reflect family life as well. As a medical student at Tufts says, "It seems hypocritical to be against gay marriages and at the same time in favor of family values" (Tresniowski, 10). Having a family is an important part of a marriage, "... straight and gay alike have other things on their minds today. Family is one, and the linchpin of family has commonly been a loving commitment between two loving adults" (Quindlen, 581). There are disadvantages to same-sex couples which heterosexual couples do not have to worry about, like; "No joint tax returns. No health insurance coverage... No survivor's benefits from Social Security" (Quindlen, 581). These are concerns of same-sex couples and should also be looked at by the government.
Marriage between people of the same sex should not be a concern of anyone but the couple and their friends, as children say, "it's none of your bees-wax." Andrew Sullivan, a writer, is a gay man and writes from the aspect of a gay man who wants the ability for gays and lesbians to marry. He answers questions and general curiosities openly in his article. One of his main points is that "no one is seeking to take away anybody's right to marry, and no one is seeking to force any church to change any doctrine in any way... We are only asking that when the government gives out civil marriage licenses, those of us are gay should be treated like anybody else" (26). The revolution of marriage started back when women were married as men's property, to marriages of the same race, and now we are at a time when people of the same sex want to be married. Change is needed for this next chain in the revolution. No one has "... any more of a choice to be gay than to be black or white or male or female" (Sullivan, 26).
In the year 1996, we like to think that everything is "politically correct." By tackling some issues and taking a close look at them, we see that our world is not a politically correct world, at least I do not believe so. Anna Quindlen concludes her essay very optimistic, "only twenty-five years ago and it was a crime for a black woman to marry a white man. Perhaps twenty-five years from now we will find it just as incredible that two people of the same sex were not entitled to legally commit themselves to each other" (582). Everyone has a right to full happiness no matter what your color, race, or sexual preference may be. Let our country try to provide "liberty and justice for all."




















Works Cited

1. Quinslen, Anna. "Evan's Two Moms." Conversations. Jack Selzer. Pennsylvania: Allyn and Bacon, 1997. 580-582.

2. Sullivan, Andrew. "Let Gays Marry." Newsweek 3 June 1996, V127, p26.

3. Trensniowski, Alex. "Same-Sex Marriage: For Better or Worse?" Time 9 September 1996, V148, p10.