NOTICE: This is strictly an opinion article, though there are also some facts stated here. Agree or disagree with my point of view? Let me know! That's what the comment section is for.
Of all of the political and moral controversies floating around the world today, very few are as controversial as the issue of gay marriage. Very few people sit on the fence with this one; most people are either passionately for allowing gay couples to marry, or passionately against. And both sides are very vocal about their opinions.
Several countries in the world --including the very Catholic country of Spain, where I currently live-- have already legalized gay marriage. And as these laws continue to pass, those people who don't support gay marriage are becoming more and more vocal. And their arguments against giving gays their rights are becoming thinner and thinner.
There are literally hundreds of reasons to support gay marriage. Or, if you consider each and every homosexual out there who is legally denied his or her basic rights, millions. But it seems to me that the following five are irrefutable.
1. The kids come out just fine.
We all have different perspectives on the best way to raise our children. But it seems outrageous to me that anybody with the right body parts --murderers, drug addicts, even convicted child molesters-- can get married and have children, while same sex couples who have done nothing wrong cannot. If, as those who support a gay marriage ban claim, children are such an important part of the equation, why are they focusing their efforts on people who make just as effective parents as anybody else? Why not focus on the people who really do harm to their children?
"On measures of psychosocial well-being, school functioning, and romantic relationships and behaviors, teens with same-sex parents are as well adjusted as their peers with opposite-sex parents. A more important predictor of teens' psychological and social adjustment is the quality of the relationships they have with their parents." http://www.colage.org/resources/facts.htm.
Good parenting is about love, stability, and responsibly. Not gender.
2. Same sex relationships are just as natural as hetero relationships.
One of the arguments against same sex marriage that infuriates the gay community is the implication that these sorts of relationships are unnatural. They're not. Homosexuality has been a part of mankind since we walked the planet. And not just us-- some members of most animal species show a homosexual preference, as well. A same-sex relationship is perfectly natural, perfectly normal, and just as worthy of acknowledgement as a hetero relationship.
Take a look at most of the gay and lesbian themed internet dating websites out there, for instance. Do you see a list of unstable sexual degenerates? No. Mostly, you see people just like any heterosexual, looking for just what any heterosexual is looking for: a lifetime partner.
3. Marriage has never been static, anyway.
Those in favor of banning gay marriage tend to use a lot of words like "tradition" and "sanctity." But the definition of marriage has been in constant flux since its inception. At its beginnings, marriage was often about the exchange of property or even about creating peace between two countries. In many places and in many times, marriage was between several people, or wasn't even recognized by law, or was purchased only with large amounts of money. And as early as the 1960's and 70's, the right to marry was denied to interracial couples and the mentally handicapped. Is that what "tradition" looks like to you? How can people argue that allowing gays to marry is against the tradition of marriage, when there is no tradition of marriage. It's an institution which is constantly in flux.
4. Denying gays rights is discrimination.
In the United States, some polls have shown that while 75% of people support the idea of gay rights in general, more than 50% --including some of those who consider themselves gay-rights supporters--are against gay marriage. Instead, those people support the idea of "separate but equal" rights. And while granting those rights is a step in the right direction, not allowing gay couples the full rights of straight couples automatically classifies them as second-class citizens.
Think back to your high school history classes. Does "separate but equal" sound familiar? That's because it comes straight from the Jim Crow laws in the US in the first part of the 20th century, which required blacks to be physically segregated from whites. How fair does that sound today? Separate but equal is not equal. It's separate, it's discrimination, and it's a violation of a gay couple's rights.
5. No church should determine legal policy.
Now, I think this is the most important argument of them all. Almost everybody who is truly against gay marriage is against it for religious reasons. But unless you live in the Vatican, religion and law are --and should be-- two separate things. The rights of marriage are something given by the state, not the church.
It's true that parts of the Christian bible and other religious texts speak out against homosexuality. But what has that to do with the legal institution of marriage? The Bible, the Koran, the Torah, and all other religious tomes have their place in the world. But that place is not where a country's laws are made.
We all have our own opinions about what's right and what's not. But "live and let live" isn't such a bad motto to have. The truth is, there's no real reason to get worked up about the idea gay marriage. It's been legal in places like Spain for years with absolutely no detriment to society or to the institution of marriage. What it has done is grant perfectly deserving people the same rights as everybody else-- regardless of what gender of person they prefer to have sex with.
Family_man
25 / Male
Comments: 1
Posted on June 21, 2009, 3:40 am
One reason why not to 4. Denying gays rights is discrimination. Why should they get rights for who they sleep with? Sex shouldn't decipher who get's more rights then any one else, it's unprofessional and no one's business. If a man and a man get married will they ever have children? If a woman and a woman will they? The answer is no, not unless you do what is unnatural and get some kinda implant.Were not built for the same sex, if we were we would not survive.
