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Gay Marriage

Gay Marriage
Should gay marriages be legal? Clearly we as a nation are undecided on this issue.
36 states have passed legislation banning gay marriages, yet the state of Vermont recently
passed a law that allows homosexual couples the right to participate in civil unions. Some
other states are also debating whether or not to allow these couples to marry.
Unfortunately, the dispute has left the United States homosexual community in an
awkward position. There are some people who think that gay people have no rights and
should never be allowed to marry. Other people believe that gay people are just like
anyone else and should enjoy the same rights and privileges as heterosexuals do. I think
that the United States should allow these couples to marry just like any other couple.
There are many opponents of gay people as it is, and they all have their reasons to
dislike the idea of letting them get married. One of the main reasons is that the primary
purpose of marriage is procreation. Because gay couples are unable to have children, they
should not be allowed to marry (Schiffen 495). Another main argument is that the word
marriage means the union of one man and one woman. This is a long-standing theme of
most major Western religions. Under a proposed bill known as the Defense of Marriage
act, marriage is defined as "a legal union between one man and one woman as husband
and wife." Furthermore, it defines a spouse as " a person of the opposite sex who is a
husband or wife" (What 1). Under these guidelines, it is quite obvious that gay couples
would not be eligible for marriage. People against homosexual marriage also say that it is
a person's choice to be gay. Since the individual chooses to be a homosexual, they should
not be given special privileges. Another argument that you hear is that these couples
should not get married simply because of the torment and ridicule they would be faced
with in their everyday lives. There are...