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Same-Sex Marriages

The Debate on Same-Sex Marriages
The legalization of same-sex marriages is a political and emotional debate that has recently become a big issue in today's society. Once considered to be a mental illness, homosexuality is gradually being seen as a natural condition that people are born with. Until recently gay's and lesbian's behavior was illegal and they were often arrested, persecuted, or imprisoned for their expression of love. Most governments have been forced to drop antisodomy laws considering the unfairness and violation of privacy the laws support. Even though homosexuals have been given some rights, the right to marriage is still far out of reach. Many states have passed legislation defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Also, a number of states and the federal government passed Defense of Marriage Acts to stop the possibility of having to recognize same-sex marriages. Despite the setback, gay activists are still fighting for their right to marriage. Fighting just as hard are the anti-gay activists who are putting up their argument based on religion, tradition, family values, procreation, and the simple fact that it is an untried social experiment. The issue of recognizing same-sex marriages has accumulated many problems and will inevitably continue in the future unless a consensus is reached.
Throughout human history marriage has been a relationship between a man and a woman. It is the social norm that has always worked in holding society together. Because the United States has built itself on tradition, the fight for legalizing same-sex marriage has been a struggle. Hicks does not believe that life can function without traditional marriage and backs it up by saying, "…marriage transcends religion, politics, culture, and law. Indeed, it appears that human nature requires marriage" (2). He also believes that, in general, taking society out of its state of norm could have negative effects. On the other hand, Bidstrup says...