Running head: SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SHOULD BE ALLOWED

Same-sex Marriage Should Be Allowed

David Chapman
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SHOULD BE ALLOWED

Same-sex marriage should be allowed

What would you do if someone told you that you couldnt marry the person you loved?
What if they said your love is an abomination and is illegal in your home state? In some states, as
well as some countries around the world, same-sex marriage is illegal. People, like you and me,
are being told that they do not have the right to publicly display their love for their partners. The
gay marriage ban is a ban on love. The government should not be allowed to ban gay marriage
because it is immoral to ban love, it goes against the constitution, and gay marriage is beneficial
to the nation.
Marriage is defined as A legal and civil contract with the government that allows the
people involved to function as a single entity in many legal capacities that are not available to
people who are not married (Rich &Wagner, 2014). There is nothing in that statement that says
between one man and one woman. It wasnt until 1996 when President Clinton signed the
Defense of Marriage Act which specified that marriage was between one man and one woman
(Defense of Marriage Act, 2002). Who gives the government the right to regulate love? The
Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia ruled that marriage is one of the basic civil rights of
man (Should Gay Marriage Be Legal?, 2014). Banning love takes away those civil liberties.
The gay marriage ban goes against the constitution. The Supreme Court case Cleveland
Board of Education v. LaFleur ruled that "freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage and
family life is one of the liberties protected by the Due Process Clause (Should Gay Marriage Be
Illegal?, 2014). This means the constitution protects the freedom of marriage practice and lifestyle choice. Homosexuality is one of those protected life-style choices. Gay marriage is one of
those protected marriages. We cannot say one thing and do another. In 2003 the Supreme Court

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SHOULD BE ALLOWED

ruled that prohibiting same-sex marriage was against the constitution (Rich &Wagner, 2014).
They seem to get it.
Did you know that allowing same-sex marriage is actually beneficial to the nation? In
the states that have allowed same-sex marriage they have seen: A decline in divorce rates; an
increase in revenue due to a so-called marriage penalty fee; a decline in suicide rates; and, get
this, their societies have not crumbled to pieces (Should Gay Marriage Be Legal? 2014). It must
be troubling to live your whole life thinking youre worthless because of your sexuality. The
APA stated in 2004 that denying homosexuals the right to vote can be psychologically
damaging (Rich & Wagner, 2014). When you tell someone they are an abomination (Leviticus
18:22) and deny their civil rights, of course its psychologically damaging. The rest of the nation
could prosper if we would only take the initiative to legalize same-sex marriage.
The majority of people against same-sex marriage are religious groups. The Bible
preaches that man should not lie with man as he does with a woman (Leviticus 18:22). This
comes from a book that is very old and that was passed down from many people and languages.
That same book even states that For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness [the Old
Testament] for everyone who believes (Romans 10:4) and setting up a new law, And He said
to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with
all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall
love your neighbor as you love yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law
and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40). These verses negate the laws in the Old Testament and
set up a new law. Those against gay marriage also say it weakens the constitution of marriage.
Let me impose a hypothetical situation on you: you and your friend go to a restaurant. You see a
delicious chicken sandwich that instantly makes your mouth water. You have decided, that is the

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SHOULD BE ALLOWED

sandwich for you. The waitress comes, you and your friend order; you assume he has ordered the
same delicious-sounding chicken sandwich you did because what else would he get? Your food
arrives. To your horror your friend has, in fact, ordered a ham sandwich. Does their decision to
eat a ham sandwich in any way affect or lessen the deliciousness of your chicken sandwich? Of
course not! Why is it any different with same or opposite-sex couples? In the United States we
have this thing called the separation of church and state (first amendment). It states that our laws
will not be influenced by religious ideals. Even if gay marriage goes against your religious
beliefs, under the first amendment it would be unconstitutional to outlaw gay marriage based on
religion. The first amendment also sets up freedom of religion; which states that you have the
right to openly practice any religion you choose. Not all religions are against gay marriage. In
2009, the Hindu council of the UK became one of the first major religions to support LGBT
rights (Religion and Homosexuality). The first amendment may give you the freedom to believe
and practice what you want, but you do not have the right to violate another persons civil rights
while practicing your own beliefs. Religious organizations have the right to label homosexuality
a sin and non-violently protest against it, but they do not have the right to force their religious
ideals onto others by inserting their beliefs into law (Sager, J., 2013)
Same-sex marriage is a basic human right. It is defined in the constitution that prohibiting
the freedom of marriage is unlawful. The morality of same-sex marriage is that it defines samesex couples as first-class citizens in America. Even from a non-subjective standpoint, it is easy to
see that the benefits are worth allowing same-sex marriage: higher state income, lower divorce
rates, lower suicide ratesthese are things that have come out of gay marriage legalization. We
are thousands of years from the time these laws were written. This is the 21st century. It is time
that we recognize that who you love does not devalue your existence or worth.

SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SHOULD BE ALLOWED

References
Defense of Marriage Act. (2002, September 27). Retrieved November 4, 2014.
Rich, A., & Wagner, G. (2014, January 1). Same-Sex Marriage: An Overview. Retrieved
November 4, 2014, from
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.rccc.edu/pov/detail/detail?sid=38ba4985-0d38-40ea9ad25f166977d7a4@sessionmgr4002&vid=1&hid=4112&bdata=JnNpdGU9cG92LWxpdmU
=#db=pwh&AN=23259475
Should Gay Marriage Be Legal? (2014, January 1). Retrieved November 4, 2014, from
http://gaymarriage.procon.org/
Religion and Homosexuality. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from
Sager, J. (2013, March 31). Refuting Anti-Gay Rights Arguments. Retrieved November 17,
2014, from http://theprogressivecynic.com/debunking-right-wing-talking-points/refutinganti-gay-rights-arguments/