Same Sex Marriage

Essay by luc3College, Undergraduate May 2004

download word file, 7 pages 5.0

Today, many gay couples are denied the right to have same sex marriage. As a result gay people are faced with civil rights issues that have nothing whatever to do with the ecclesiastical origins of marriage; they are excluded from the state constitutional rights that only legal married couples can enjoy. Ever since Vermont and Hawaii made it clear that gay marriages are legal inside their states, many gay couples have eloped into one of these states to get married. Since then, many gay activists are working towards legalizing gay marriage in several states. Many politicians along with the older generations of American who were taught that homosexuality is a sin, feel that same-sex marriage would threaten the institution of marriage. They came up with the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) to banned same sex marriage. The FMA clearly states, "Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman.

Neither this Constitution or the constitution of any state, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups" (Bork 1). There shouldn't be a constitutional definition of marriage. If we are to be a country that claims to protect citizens' basic human rights then no form of government should attempt to take away someone's pursuits of happiness. Laws shouldn't be created based on personal opinions that are based on a religion that

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condemns homosexuality. Societies have long recognized that allowing civil rights to certain groups may offend some people. Which is why the constitutional government was established to ensure that powerless and unpopular minorities are still protected from the tyranny of the majority.

Today, most people are in favor of equal rights for homosexuals. They...