Same Sex Marriage

Submitted By sbassett
Words: 886
Pages: 4

“When Marcia Hams and Susan Shepherd cut into their wedding cake at city hall in Cambridge, Mass., on May 17, 2004, after becoming the first same-sex couple in the U.S. to complete a state-sanctioned marriage application, they probably hoped their union would open the floodgates for gay couples across the country. But instead, it became a high-water mark for same-sex marriage as the acrimonious debate over the issue raged on--a moment equaled only by a California Supreme Court's ruling in mid-May overturning the state's ban on gay marriage.” Marriage is the formal union of man and woman, typically recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife. This definition has been in place since man and woman have been on Earth. Same-sex marriage (also called gay marriage) is a legally or socially recognized marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. The similarities in both marriages are two people who are in love, are joining together as one. The difference is one marriage is man and woman. The other is two people of the same gender. Times have changed. The way we walk, dress, look, etc. We are more accepting of things. Even though the people of America are accepting, the government still feels strongly about what marriage stands for. They still believe that marriage is man and woman and that’s it. In other people minds, they think quite differently. As of August 2013, thirteen states have legalized gay marriage. These states include California, Connecticut, Iowa, and Massachusetts. These states legalized gay marriage by court decision. New Jersey will take effect in late October. States such as Delaware, Vermont, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island made the decision through State legislation. Other states such as Maine, Washington, and Maryland made their decision through popular vote. In a total, there are fourteen states that have legalized gay marriage. Should gay marriage be legalized in all fifty states, should be the question. There are pros and cons to why it should and shouldn’t. A pro to why gay marriage should be legalized in all fifty states would be it denies people from the right of the first amendment. The first amendment states that, all people have the right to freedom, religion speech, right to petition, etc. This law also states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” If the law states that free exercise, then why is it not legalized in all fifty states? Back before our time, I would hear my parents talk about how people would hide if they were gay, or how it looked bad on your parents to think about acting gay. They would also tell me how people would get beat up for being a “gay” person friend. In our time now, it’s okay to be what you want. Some people may not accept it, but you don’t have hide like you did back then. Now, our generation is more accepting and not our generation, the world is more accepting. In a case there is Sarah Tim and Max. If same-sex marriage is forbidden, then Sarah and Tim can get married, but not Max. He is denied his right to marriage because of his choice of gender he wants to marry. This is an example