OPPapers.com

Gay Marriage

English 122
Courtenay Avant
December 1st 2006

Legalize Gay Marriage



Till death do us part! This is the phrase that millions of people say each year. People express their feelings of love and commitment by taking the next step in a relationship, which is marriage. But not everyone who feels that they are ready to get married can. Homosexual marriage is not permitted in many places around the world. Numerous people oppose gay marriage for many different reasons, ranging from religion to the ability for them to be suitable parents. The majority of people who oppose gay marriage are christen conservative groups, and people who believe in keeping marriage a sacred thing between a man and a women. The dictionary describes marriage as the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc. (dictionary.com) Many people who oppose marriage think that it should remain this way, between a man and a women.
The first signs of homosexual people wanting to have the right to marry came with the controversial Behr v. Lewin decsion in Hawaii. The case began in 1991 when three same-sex couples that had been denied marriage licenses by the Hawaii Department of Health brought suit in state court against the director of the department. Hawaii law required couples wishing to marry to obtain a marriage license. While the marriage license law did not exactly prohibit same-sex marriage at that time, it used terms of gender that clearly indicated that only heterosexual couples could marry. The couple sought a decision that the Hawaii marriage license law is unconstitutional, as it prohibits same-sex marriage and allows state officials to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples on account of the heterosexuality requirement. Baehr and her attorney sought their objectives entirely through state law, not only by filing in state rather than federal court, but also by alleging...