Essay on Marriage Equality

Submitted By skgerdts
Words: 835
Pages: 4

Marriage is a human right 1

Running Head: Marriage is a human right

Marriage is a human right; not a heterosexual privilege

Marriage is a human right 2

In the United States, there is social unrest regarding the government’s denial of the right to marry for homosexuals. Plenty of conservatives are completely against gay marriage; and many of the liberals are fighting for equal treatment. Some politicians are using religious arguments to establish that homosexuality is an abomination. While this may be their belief system, this country was founded on religious freedom, where the people are allowed to worship how they see fit. A ground rule, set up from the beginning, states that separation needs to be made between religion and government. With the issue of gay marriage, lines get blurred and religion rears its head to influence a government’s decision of who shall be married and who will be refused. Homosexuals are not asking for special rights or even separate rights, only equal rights! There are many ways to define marriage; there are legal definitions, biblical definitions, and personal definitions. Which one is the right definition? The decision of which definition is the right one depends on where you live and what you believe. Marriage has evolved throughout history. In today’s society there are many different types of unions that can be viewed as marriages. Comparing these different relationships gives insight to how relationships are formed and joined.

Marriage is a human right 3
Although marriage is just a civil union in the eyes of the government, it is so much more to the people involved. If you asked just about anyone, they’ll all tell you that they are in favor of equal rights for homosexuals, they’ll say, yes, gays should have the same rights in housing, jobs, accommodations, and should have equal access to government benefits and equal protection under the law. Then you ask them about gay marriage, and all of the talk about equality abruptly stops. Research shows that nearly 70% of people in the United States oppose gay marriage, which is almost the same proportion that are otherwise supportive of gay rights. (Johnson, R.) This means that even those who are passionate about gay rights oppose gays on this one issue! Why? Gay marriage is legal in many other countries including, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Spain, South Africa, Mexico, Portugal, the UK, and Ireland. (Johnson, R.) The United States prides itself on being a “melting pot” If this is true, two people of the same sex cannot be free, happy, and legally bonded to each other in a country that is supposed to be so accepting of diversity? In all of the controversy to protect the traditional institution of heterosexual marriage, the government has yet to provide one valid reason, to deny Marriage is a human right 4 gay couples the right to marry. They often offer a religious argument, which should never be allowed, because there is suppose to be a clear separation between church and state. Many religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, deny homosexuality, and since “marriage” is a religious ceremony, many believe that it would be wrong to legalize homosexual marriage because it goes against their principles. However, in the