Introduction
Same sex marriage can be defined as that union, which takes place between two people who belong to the same social gender or similar biological sex. On the other hand, the concept gay is used when referring to a person who is a homosexual. The term that is used to refer to homosexuality dates back to the late nineteenth century, but it has been widely made use of in the twentieth century.
The term gay can as well be used to refer to those people, especially men and the cultural practices, which are associated to homosexuality. These groups of people share a common characteristic and lifestyle since they are attracted to the individuals of the same sex. Another term that is linked to the concept of homosexuality is lesbian. The term lesbian is used in describing people who have romantic and sexual desire among females.
Lesbians are women who are sexually attracted to other females. This group of women pursues the freedom of practicing homosexuality. In fact, many people consider the lesbian relationship to be of lesser harm than that of the heterosexuals. The term heterosexual relationship is one that exists between members of different sex, such as a relationship between a man and a woman. The question, debate and politics of same sex marriage have been in the public domain for quite a long time in America.
This has seen the emergence of two schools of thought, namely the proponents of same sex marriage who generally include gays and lesbians and their opponents. However, gays and lesbians suffered their biggest blow of all times on the morning of 3rd November, 2004 which saw the reflection of George W Bush and the consequent passage of the anti-gay amendments as wide as eleven states (Mirriam 34).
Discussion
The bottom line being “Moral values” (Mirriam 74).The major concern is whether morality and ethical values be enough to discriminate this particular social groups, or should one’s sexual orientation accord hi or her state discrimination whereby the state prohibits to accord any form of recognition to same sex- marriage. Before coming with a clear stand it is important to weigh the extent to which same sex marriage can be considered evil and whether or not they should be accorded.
Many opponents of same sex marriage are always concerned with how and where the couples of same sex marriage get their children. One of the most common sources is through the viro-technology that will see a possibility of women renting their womb, or even exchange their ova to create a complex and complicated manner of familiar relation all in an attempt to get babies.
This also brings about the controversial question of test- tube babies which is greatly criticized for degrading the value of humanity. Same-sex couples in America engage in such endevour in an attempt to get their own flesh and blood kids, and this desperate measures can be said to be the cause of their opposition (Cott 57).
The gay and lesbian society is considered as a minority. However, the numbers cannot be taken for granted according to the Williams institute at the UCLA Law school there are an estimated 9 million gay and lesbians in America by 2011.This is 3.8%of the American population .with a total of 770,000 couples of same sex already living together (Cott 96). Why should we then formalize their relationship?
The problem why many people cannot accept same sex marriage is based on the fact that many define marriage as a legal and religious commitment between a man and a woman thus many are not able to accept same sex marriage Proponents of same sex marriage do argue that the United states constitution clearly states that an individual religious affiliation or lack of it must be at all times protected.
By this they attempt to tell of those who see same sex marriage as a sin. Therefore, denying them legal marriage means that their religious freedom is denied as no one should be forced to be part of a particular religious belief. Therefore, they should be allowed (Coontz 974).
The proponents of same sex marriage go ahead to argue that nobody should be hurt by the marriage of two people. It is simply a relationship and nobody else’s business as it is a personal commitment and the concerned persons feel that if the church or some particular groups of people do not agree with the act, it is their right to express their dissatisfaction, but not to go ahead and stop it.
Marriage is considered to be more than just a status legal it comes with many things that affect the society such as insurance benefits, tax filling status, joint property ownership, and agency law (Coontz 977).
Critical medical decision that might need an immediate family member or a spouse to approve denies the same sex marriage the opportunity to be considered as a legal union. This makes the gay or lesbians to be in a difficult situation since it is against the societal norms and cultural values for the same sex proponents to demand some legal recognition.
In fact, the economic situations nowadays require both help and support from both the husband and wife, that is, those who are married share bills on utilities. Just like those who are married, same sex couples need to support each other in difficult times, thus it becomes very necessary that they are legally bound as husband and wife. Therefore, it should be a clear message to those who are opposed to same sex marriage to understand their humanity (Coontz 978).
Those who argue that same sex marriage leads to eroded family values are not in any way honest. Same sex marriage, just like man-woman marriage would encourage the couples to settle down and avoid having sex with other people. Therefore, gays and lesbians should be allowed to enter in legal relationships and settle down (Segura 190). As discussed above, morality and ethics should not be the basis of any relationship.
Indeed, the most important thing in marriage is love that is constantly nurtured between the couples in a legalized union. Therefore, people who feel attracted to one another, and are in genuine relationship that is full of love and joy should be allowed to willingly express their love, and possibly get in a marriage union (Segura 192).
The fact that gay and lesbian people are denied an opportunity to legalize their marriage means that a minority group of individuals are being discriminated, that is, contrary to the American foundation of respect for the rights of the minority. This is why crucial acts such as the anti-slavery act were put in place.
Therefore, it is important to accord every individual his/her basic right (Mirriam 121). It is such a great deal a state like Massachusetts, by 2004 granted same sex marriage legal status (Segura 189). This means that the same sex couples file joint tax returns back to the state. Since this revenue goes towards funding the government budget expenditure it is not fair for the federal government to refuse to legalize same sex marriages.
The bureaucracy that same sex couples have to go through is always not justified, it is a tedious, time consuming and discriminatory since the couples are required to fill many forms. These trends limit same sex marriages, and the federal government should take into account that all these groups of people are law abiding citizens who remit their taxes without fail. Therefore, the federal government might not have a valid reason to justify why it does not formalize the same sex marriages.
Conclusion
In fact, it is clear that the fate of the same sex couples is appalling; there is absolutely nothing to be admired. The couples undergo unfair treatment, even though they are law abiding citizens who remit their taxes to the government in time. Moreover, in the recent past, things have changed a great deal since what was considered “immoral” in the last century is never the same to date.
This is because the same sex marriages were considered immoral in the past, but currently the society is slowly transforming to accept such changes. Therefore, the federal government of the United States should legalize the union of the same sex couples and allow them to conduct their lives like any other citizens.
Works Cited
Coontz, Stephanie. The World Historical Transformation of Marriage. New York, NY: National Council on Family RelationsNational Council on Family Relations, 2004. Print.
Cott, N. Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000. Print.
Mirriam, Smith. The Politics of Same-Sex Marriage in Canada and the United States. Ontario: Broadview Press, 2005. Print.
Segura, Gary, M. A Symposium on the Politics of Same-Sex Marriage: An Introduction and Commentary. New York, NY: American Political Association, 2005. Print.