Legalize Gay Marriage in the U. S. | Teen Ink

Legalize Gay Marriage in the U. S.

March 12, 2014
By fawkesthephoenix BRONZE, Lake Villa, Illinois
fawkesthephoenix BRONZE, Lake Villa, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Life is pain, highness. Anyone who tells you different is selling you something." -Dread Pirate Roberts


People-all people- should have the right to marry, despite their own individual sexual preference. Unfortunately, homosexuals (otherwise known as gays and lesbians) do not have the right to marry in thirty-three states in the United States of America. Gay marriage is seen by most people, especially the younger generation, as acceptable, but there should not have to be a law depicting whether or not two people who are in love can get legally married. Love is an inevitable circumstance-as many say, “It just happens.” Today’s society is not the society of centuries ago, therefore, an individual shouldn’t have to get legal permission to marry somebody that they love. Gay marriage should be legal in all states because people should be able to love freely and express that love freely.

Gay marriage does not promote the stereotypical party-all-day-hook-up-all-night behavior that is often associated with homosexuals. If one wanted to marry another legally, that is implying that that person would want to spend the rest of their life with the other person. Marriage also goes hand-in-hand with starting a family. If a person who was married to another person, and they intended to start a family, is it even logical to consider that those people would succumb to the behavior and lifestyle that homophobic people place on them? Of course not! A family with two mothers or two fathers is still a family, and other than the fact that there is not a mother or father in their children’s life. An opposing argument may include that all gay people yield to that behavior. Plenty of heterosexual couples or heterosexual people in general party relentlessly and sleep around. It is a safe and relevant statement to say that especially after marriage, couples sleep with each other. Does that have to change because of that couple’s sexual orientation? A homosexual couple loves their partner as much as any heterosexual couple would love each other. They express that love in the same way. There isn’t anything bad about that. It is simply nature--human nature. So why should people who are homosexual be viewed as living a lifestyle that is not true of all homosexuals? In a poll of 1002 people, 59% said that they support the fact that gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry. Sixty-one percent of those people said that gays and lesbians should be allowed to adopt children as well. Would those people agree to those things if they agreed all homosexuals live a questionable lifestyle? The answer to the question is very simple--no! And questionable lifestyle or not, the right to marry is an inalienable right stated in the United Nations Conventions on the Consent to Marriage and in the United States Constitution.
As blatantly remarked in the article, Marriage is a Fundamental Right, “It is well-established and crystal clear that the right to marry is a central aspect of the right to liberty, privacy, association, and identity.” It is a right in the Constitution that people may marry if they so choose, and it is even addressed by the United Nations during a convention held back in 1962, and although it occurred just over fifty years ago, one of the main arguments was that people have the right to marry. The concern back then was age, but if one was to put it in a more modern perspective, it is whom one was to marry, or more importantly what the sexual orientation of the two people binding their hearts together in marriage happens to be. Today’s day and age is not supposed to discriminate; the United States is well past nationwide bigotry against a certain race or a certain religion. Does this country really want to stoop so low as to discriminate against something different--sexual preference? If a person was to argue, they would say, “Marriage is held traditionally between a man and a woman. Even the Bible states that.” Times have changed--people are more willing to come out than ever. And, in this instance, the Bible is not a completely relevant argument, as it is the basis of one religion and the United States does not have a nationally recognized religion. That is also in the Constitution. People can believe what they want to believe just as much as people can marry whomever they fancy. Love is love--a very stereotypical thing to say-- but it is true. As quoted by Gilbert Parker, “Love knows not distance; it hath no continent; its eyes are for the stars.” However, does love need to know whether it is relevant or not based on who it is for? Does it need to be prohibited by state and and national law? If one can love somebody on a different continent, why can another not love somebody because of what sex they are? In stopping the marriages of homosexuals, the United States is being a hypocrite. It states in its very own Constitution that marriage is a right of citizens of the United States. By stopping it, is the country saying gays and lesbians are not citizens? As stated before, love is love. It should be allowed to be expressed.
The expression of love is a beautiful thing. To see the look of two lovers’ eyes that are on each other is just astounding, breathtaking. People fall in and out of love. It happens in novels, movies, plays, musicals, and every other kind of media that strives to entertain. It is a popular topic, although it should not be toyed with. In prohibiting homosexuals to marry in many states, the government, and the nation’s people are toying with two people’s love for one another. Recently, gay marriage has become more widely accepted throughout the United States, and within the past twenty years those who oppose gay marriages numbers went down from 65% of a survey of 3,338 adults to a mere 39% opposing gay marriage this year, 2014. The nation needs to put this phenomenon in action by legalizing gay marriage in all states. The nation needs to support love, and it needs to support its fellow citizens. One might say that gay marriage, and the love between two people of the same gender in general is wrong, but did that person ever stop to possibly consider that they are incorrect? They may say that it is immoral, but do they realize that discrimination against their fellow man, no matter who or what they love, is also immoral? The key is to reiterate the simple, yet effective phrase--love is love. Love has been love, love will be love, and never will this love ever cease. One does not choose who they love--it’s a sensation that takes over a person and consumes them whole. It may be for the opposite sex, but then again, it may also be for the same sex. People love not for a person’s gender, but for a person’s heart. It is inevitable, therefore there is no point in stifling it because a small minority views it as immoral. And immoral or not, the marriage of homosexuals does not affect anybody except for the two getting married.
Imagine a wedding scene. Imagine the bright colored flowers and the pretty dresses. Imagine sunlight pouring in through the church or courthouse window. Now, imagine this. The two women at the altar, looking into each other’s eyes with such love, such admiration. Is it really plausible to say that two homosexuals’ loves for each other affects society? When a man and woman get married, does it get plastered all over the news boards, publicized and change every person’s life within a radius of one hundred miles? Of course not. And the answer to the former question is also, “of course not.”. People may argue that it will bring financial and emotional stress and “the morals of a minority forced onto a majority.” However, the fact of the matter is that gays and lesbians long to get married for themselves, and that they are not “forcing their morals” onto anybody. It is not the business of the world of who gets married or not. The act of marriage is to seal the fact that two people love a each other with a promise--that they will always be together. Not everybody has to be in on a promise two people make to each other. It is theirs and theirs alone. If they choose to share the idea that they got married to anyone else, that would be the couple’s choice. The act of discrimination is considered illegal in the United States, so people not necessarily in favor of the homosexual marriage can keep their mouths closed. It is simply not their business, and it should remain that way. There are so many reasons for legalizing gay marriage.
As stated previously, gay marriage should be legalized throughout the entire United States. Despite common belief, most homosexuals do not yield to the party-hookup lifestyle that most people connect to the word “gay” or “lesbian”. On quite the contrary, the notion of marriage suggest that gays want to spend the rest of their life with one another, and perhaps start a family. Marriage is also a given right in the United States Constitution and was addressed by the United Nations as an inalienable right. The vast majority of the United States also believes that homosexuals should get the right to marry, and it has been discussed that love is inevitable, and no matter who it is for, none of it is immoral. Marriage between gays doesn’t affect society whatsoever--it’s their life and their life alone, although, the citizens of the United States should support it. Discrimination can stop with unending support, and homosexuals getting married can be just as accepted as blacks coming out of slavery. It will take time, but it will happen.


The author's comments:
This was an essay I had to write for class, but I feel very strongly about this topic. Hope it helps and informs!

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