The Never-Ending Search for Civil Rights

Essay by parkaaaCollege, UndergraduateA+, March 2009

download word file, 5 pages 0.0

On November 4, 2008 thousands of California citizens lost their constitutional rights to marriage. With a 52% majority, Proposition 8 passed, changing the words of the constitution to ban same-sex marriage. The Proposition proposed that the California constitution should add the following statement, “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” These new fourteen words not only eliminate same-sex couples the right to the ultimate act of love, but it also eliminates their natural born rights. Proposition 8 is discriminative, unfair, and simply barbaric, but the larger issue is that a solution to this problem is seemingly impossible. Although it would be unfeasible to make everyone deem same-sex marriage is equal to heterosexual marriage, there is hope that everyone will be able to find acceptance in the lifestyle choices that others make.

Only recently has the support for gay marriage started to increase to a significant amount, and currently only two states recognize same-sex marriage in the United States, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Although it’s legal, it is only recognized at a state level because of the Defense of Marriage Act put into place by the United States Federal Government.

California began allowing same-sex marriage on June 16, 2008, after Proposition 22 from the 2000 elections was overturned by four Supreme Court judges in San Francisco. Proposition 22 in 2000 was put on the ballot to do the same thing that Proposition 8 is on the ballot for in 2008, to change the words of the California constitution to make marriage legal and recognized only between a man and a woman. After being protested and fought for countless years by all different types of people, in 2008 the court ruled that it was unconstitutional to take away the rights of gays and lesbians, thus making...