Do Gays Have The Right To Marry Essay, Research Paper

Do Gays Have the Right to Marry?

Do gays have the right to marry? This topic was under legal scrutiny during the last congressional election. The Citizens of Hawaii voted against a proposal that would make marriages among gays legal. In fact, in recent years, gays and lesbians have had more attention focused on them. Slowly our nation has grown to accept them into our society. However, is there a line between what is sociably acceptable and what must be called immoral? When do we have the right to determine that line? What rights do gays have and what rights are they entitled to? The answer is that they should be allowed to marry, the same as every other free heterosexual couple.

To begin, many Christian activists argue that marriages by gays are immoral. They say the Bible clearly states that homosexual behavior is wrong. And since marriage is done in the presence of God, gays should not be able to participate in the holy ceremony. Contrarily, the Bible says to love one another and condemns the judgement of others. So how is it that Christians can determine the rightness of ones behavior, other than their own? It is a fact that many couples that who not Christian marry. This proves that people marry for many reasons. A few of these reasons may include: religious purposes, legal purposes, or an obligation. Because there is more than one reason, that does not make one reason more right than another? For example, the couple who does not practice Christianity may see marriage as more of a formality. Furthermore, in Middle Eastern countries men may acquire many wives. Is it our place to say that their beliefs are wrong? Moreover, immigrants came to America to escape religious persecution, and persecution of thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. If we deny rights to individuals we are undermining the very core values on which this country was founded.

Secondly, critics argue that even if gays were allowed to marry , they would not practice monogamy. They say gays promiscuous behavior would not be hindered by marriage. If the determining factor for marriage is monogamy, then this would prevent even heterosexuals from being married; since 75% of men say that they have cheated on their wife at least once. Therefore, heterosexuals may be just as likely to engage in extramarital affairs as homosexuals. In addition, it is important to note that each couple is different and it is impossible to predict the actions of a couple by stereotyping them. One unmistakable benefit is that monogamy among gays may help prevent the spread or HIV. Because gays are the main transmitters of HIV, marriage and monogamy would drastically reduce the spread of this disease. The fact alone, by allowing marriages among gays to aid in monogamy may save lives is quite persuasive.

Finally, detractors bring up yet another issue, and that is children. They say that allowing gays to marry may increase the number of gays wanting to start families. Critics state that promoting families among gays could potentially lead to many adopted children that have only one parental figure. In addition, it is thought that children raised by gay parents may be more likely to turn gay. On the contrary, just because gays want to marry does not mean they necessarily want to start having children. If they do decide to have children, which is a natural stage of maturity, then it would be up to individual case workers that they could adopt. In a situation like that, a decision would have to be made on a case by case strategy. Furthermore, because gays raise children it, does not guarantee that the child will be gay for two reasons. First, because, it cannot be proven homosexuality is genetic. Therefore, a child raised by homosexuals may have heterosexual genes that deter them from being homosexual. Second, people who are gay mostly come from a heterosexual household,; therefore proving that sexuality can not be contained by most heterosexual households. There are exceptions to each rule, for example, a man who is already married may deny his homosexuality because of the social consequences. However, that does not necessarily mean that his children will become gay. Moreover, because some people are gay does not mean they are unfit to raise a child. They may have many important lessons to pass on to their children, such as open- mindedness, and compassion. They may prove to be even better parents to children than some heterosexuals.

To conclude, gays should be allowed to marry for several reasons. For many convincing and compelling reasons such as freedom, preventing the spread of the deadly virus HIV, and the right to expression. Homosexuals should be treated equally in the matter of marriage. After all, I know how I would feel if it was my right to marry up for debate.