Same-sex Marriages Essay, Research Paper

Legalization of Same-Sex Marriages

The right to marry should be a fundamental human right. Same sex marriages being legalized would make health coverage and other benefit plans available to gay and lesbian committed couples, it would allow the simple right to a minority to form a committed partnership with a loved one, as well as contribute to the public acceptance of same-sex relationships. Therefore, I feel that same-sex marriages should be recognized by the state.

Marriage has become a lot more than just a commitment for a couple to love one another. Marriage necessitates legal financial responsibility and provides financial benefits. Same-sex marriages would make health coverage, other benefit plans, and rights related to couples during divorce and child custody pertinent to homosexual couples involved in a committed relationship. This would allow for an improved quality of life for homosexuals and any children involved. It is so simple in this day and age for homosexual couples to have children either by means of artificial insemination or children from previous heterosexual relationships. These children should not be deprived of any health privileges, benefits, and other rights that are offered to the children of heterosexual couples. Homosexuals have the ability to form a loving and safe family environment for both the spouses and the children and therefore should be eligible for the same health plans and benefits available to any other American family.

In a country based upon freedom, who are we to not allow law-abiding citizens to express their commitment to each other? We are in a point in our society where inter-racial relationships are widely accepted. This mere fact has diminished a lot of the racial discriminations that were so prominent in our society not too long ago. The fact that heterosexual couples are allowed to obtain a legal marriage license and homosexuals are not, is a simple case of sex discrimination. After all, homosexuals are a minority. This is one more obstacle that we, as a society, need to overcome.

Our country is based upon constitutional rights that provides freedom for all citizens of the United States. In society today, homosexual relationships are not regarded as legitimate. The legalization of same-sex unions would open up society?s eyes to embrace all sexual relationships as acceptable. Children need to be educated on the idea that no one should be discriminated due to their sexual preference. Maybe, with something as simple as allowing all citizens of our country to obtain a legal marriage would diminish the amount of violent hate crimes we see all too often. I truly believe that a huge role in opposing same sex marriages is simply that people are not accustomed to it, and our society is so unwilling to accept anything that is strange or unfamiliar to them. These reasons for opposition leave out religious reasons, which as far as the government is concerned, should not be an issue in the least.