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Gay Marriage

The Case for Same-Sex Marriage
The United States is known world wide for its civil rights and freedoms. Many Americans are appalled by the idea of same-sex marriages. What's wrong with the idea of two people who care greatly for one another wanting to spend their lives together? The gay community is misunderstood because many straights are not willing to listen. These individuals would rather just be closed-minded in this situation and reticent to really think about what this means to the gay community and the country. Same sex couples are not asking for any special rights; they are just asking to be treated equal with opposite sex couples. The explanations given by many Americans against gay marriages are based on false assumptions and unsubstantiated arguments. However, the real and unspoken reasons many heterosexuals have against same-sex marriages are based on religious beliefs.
There are a number of false assumptions the straight community has regarding same sex marriages. Marriage is a basic human right and an individual personal choice. The government should not interfere with same-sex couples who choose to marry and share fully and equally in the rights, responsibilities, and commitment of the institution of marriage. The real nature of marriage is not a relationship between a man and a woman but rather a binding commitment between two adults. Another false assumption regarding same sex marriages is that the institution of marriage is for procreation. If so, why are infertile individuals allowed to marry? Why are childless couples allowed to remain married? The false assumption that the institution of marriage ensures the continuation of the species is hard to visualize with the current population of the world. The notion of institution of marriage being threatened by same-sex marriages is an additional false assumption by the straight community. In the 1950's miscegenation laws prevented interracial marriages between whites and blacks. A...