Did you know that the first legal gay marriage was performed in Cambridge, MA on May 17, 2004? Gay Marriage is a hotly debated topic in America right now. Some people believe that gay marriage is okay, others do not, some people are somewhere in the middle, and others do not know much about it. The people who support gay marriage may believe that it is a right guaranteed by the Constitution, and to not allow it would be considered discriminatory. The people against gay marriage may believe that homosexuality is immoral and unnatural, and that marriage is a privilege, not a right.
BACKGROUND
People can be uneducated about what gay marriage is and how it works. Gay marriage is the right to same-sex marriage for any gender, women or men. On June 26, 2015, congress passed the law that allows same-sex couples to be married in all 50 states. Prior to this law, gay marriage was already legal in 37 states. The public support of gay marriage had gone from 27% in 1996 to 60% approval in 2015. The 1970's were important times for the gay community. Doctors believed that being gay was a mental illness, and the government did little to protect the gay community from discrimination.
PRO
People who are for gay marriage or are okay and accept the idea believe that not allowing same-sex couples to get married is discriminatory and creates a second class of citizens. "On July 25, 2014 Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Judge Sarah Zabel ruled Florida's gay marriage ban unconstitutional and stated that the ban "serves only to hurt, to discriminate, to deprive same-sex couples and their families of equal dignity, to label and treat them as second-class citizens, and to deem them unworthy of participation in one of the fundamental institutions of our society"" (ProCon.org, 2016). People believe that it is wrong to discriminate against gay people and that they should have just as much of a right to marry as people who are not gay should. Another belief people who support gay marriage may have is that not allowing gay marriage would be unconstitutional. "The US Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in the 1974 case Cleveland Board of Education v. LaFleur that the "freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage and family life is one of the liberties protected by the Due Process Clause." US District Judge Vaughn Walker wrote on Aug. 4, 2010 that Prop. 8 in California banning gay marriage was "unconstitutional under both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses." The Due Process Clause in both the
Fifth and 14th Amendments of the US Constitution states that no person shall be "deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."" Supporters of gay marriage use the constitution to help prove the point that gay marriage is not wrong, it is equal because everyone in the country is guaranteed the right to have life and liberty, without being deprived. These supporters believe that gay marriage is going against these amendments and rights that everyone has.
CON
The opponents of same-sex marriage believe that homosexuality is immoral and unnatural, that marriage is a privilege, not a right and that allowing same-sex marriage could lead to people marrying in untraditional ways. Homosexuality is defined as sexual attraction to one's own sex. "J. Matt Barber, Associate Dean for Online Programs at Liberty University School of Law, stated that "Every individual engaged in the homosexual lifestyle, who has adopted a homosexual identity, they know, intuitively, that what they're doing is immoral, unnatural, and self-destructive, yet they thirst for that affirmation" (ProCon.org, 2016). Everyone has a different religion, or no religion at all, and these opponents of gay marriage believe that homosexuality is completely wrong, and goes against God. These opponents do not want to go against their religion because it is what their personal life choices and beliefs consist of. Another reason people against same-sex marriage are opposed to the choice is that marriage is a privilege not a right. "The European Court of Human Rights ruled on June 24, 2010 that the state has a valid interest in protecting the traditional definition of marriage, and stated that the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms "enshrined the traditional concept of marriage as being between a man and a woman"" (ProCon.org). People against gay marriage believe that, because of traditional marriage views and religious beliefs, that gay marriage should not be legal in all 50 states.
BACKGROUND
People can be uneducated about what gay marriage is and how it works. Gay marriage is the right to same-sex marriage for any gender, women or men. On June 26, 2015, congress passed the law that allows same-sex couples to be married in all 50 states. Prior to this law, gay marriage was already legal in 37 states. The public support of gay marriage had gone from 27% in 1996 to 60% approval in 2015. The 1970's were important times for the gay community. Doctors believed that being gay was a mental illness, and the government did little to protect the gay community from discrimination.
PRO
People who are for gay marriage or are okay and accept the idea believe that not allowing same-sex couples to get married is discriminatory and creates a second class of citizens. "On July 25, 2014 Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Judge Sarah Zabel ruled Florida's gay marriage ban unconstitutional and stated that the ban "serves only to hurt, to discriminate, to deprive same-sex couples and their families of equal dignity, to label and treat them as second-class citizens, and to deem them unworthy of participation in one of the fundamental institutions of our society"" (ProCon.org, 2016). People believe that it is wrong to discriminate against gay people and that they should have just as much of a right to marry as people who are not gay should. Another belief people who support gay marriage may have is that not allowing gay marriage would be unconstitutional. "The US Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in the 1974 case Cleveland Board of Education v. LaFleur that the "freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage and family life is one of the liberties protected by the Due Process Clause." US District Judge Vaughn Walker wrote on Aug. 4, 2010 that Prop. 8 in California banning gay marriage was "unconstitutional under both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses." The Due Process Clause in both the
Fifth and 14th Amendments of the US Constitution states that no person shall be "deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."" Supporters of gay marriage use the constitution to help prove the point that gay marriage is not wrong, it is equal because everyone in the country is guaranteed the right to have life and liberty, without being deprived. These supporters believe that gay marriage is going against these amendments and rights that everyone has.
CON
The opponents of same-sex marriage believe that homosexuality is immoral and unnatural, that marriage is a privilege, not a right and that allowing same-sex marriage could lead to people marrying in untraditional ways. Homosexuality is defined as sexual attraction to one's own sex. "J. Matt Barber, Associate Dean for Online Programs at Liberty University School of Law, stated that "Every individual engaged in the homosexual lifestyle, who has adopted a homosexual identity, they know, intuitively, that what they're doing is immoral, unnatural, and self-destructive, yet they thirst for that affirmation" (ProCon.org, 2016). Everyone has a different religion, or no religion at all, and these opponents of gay marriage believe that homosexuality is completely wrong, and goes against God. These opponents do not want to go against their religion because it is what their personal life choices and beliefs consist of. Another reason people against same-sex marriage are opposed to the choice is that marriage is a privilege not a right. "The European Court of Human Rights ruled on June 24, 2010 that the state has a valid interest in protecting the traditional definition of marriage, and stated that the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms "enshrined the traditional concept of marriage as being between a man and a woman"" (ProCon.org). People against gay marriage believe that, because of traditional marriage views and religious beliefs, that gay marriage should not be legal in all 50 states.