Homosexual Civil Marriage Legalized in Canada

Essay by Rockerchik79High School, 12th gradeA, July 2006

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This is an overview of the event, which ocurred in 2005. Includes brief history, explanation of event, and prediction for the future, as the assignment specified.

Thesis = The passage of Bill C-38 (The Civil Marriage Act) on July 19, 2005 in the Canadian Senate which legalized homosexual "civil marriage" across the country, ending an extensive debate about the issue of homosexual "marriage", will lead to a great increase in immigration to this tolerant country.

Includes Bibliography at end of paper.

HOMOSEXUAL CIVIL MARRIAGE LEGALIZED IN CANADA

In 1869, Austro-Hungarian doctor and sexologist K.M. Benkert first coined the word "homosexual", (Lee) meaning "a tendency to direct sexual desire towards individuals of one's own sex". In 1897, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld formed the Scientific Humanitarian Committee, a lobby group, to argue for the elimination of criminal laws against homosexuals. Homosexuality first won significant international support in the 1920s because of the work of Dr.

Hirschfeld's "Institute of Sexual Science" in Berlin. In the 1960s, homosexuals publicly declared that "gays" were a legitimate minority group that should be allowed "legal protection against discrimination" (Lee). This sparked a "gay liberation activist" movement in Canada, including advocates that have argued for modifications in many areas, such as reformed medical care and coverage, along with restrictions in military service. In 1974, Canadian lobby groups persuaded the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to distinguish research proving that "no particular physical or personality type is associated with homosexual orientation". Through recent past, acceptance of homosexuals has accelerated because of general tolerance and organized gay liberation campaigns (Lee). With over 100 years of political and social reform in the area of homosexuality, civil marriage for these homosexual couples could not have been far behind. The passage of Bill C-38 (The Civil Marriage Act) on July 19, 2005 in...