Many primates participate in the full range of homosexual behaviors from fellatio to anal sex, and have been known to form romantic pair-bonds with traditional courtship roles used. (Bagemihl) Historically, too, it is false to say that marriage has always been between men and women
). In fact, "Boys from lesbian homes show less aggression as well as slightly fewer sexual partners than those in heterosexual homes," (Stanton&Keeton, 4) which is precisely the opposite of trends in single-mother homes where boys are more likely to get involved in violence
.a non-sequitur" (Hymowitz, 2004) Hymowitz notes that the concept and ideal of 'family' may be found in the very foundations of the United States and it is noted that James Wilson, member of the Continental Congress and then a Supreme Court Justice stated: To the institution of marriage the true origin of society must be traced
Thus efforts of gay men and lesbians to seek legal recognition and validation for their relationships have been faced with hostility, largely derived from these negative cultural attitudes, rather than from any internal logic." (Nishimoto, 2003) Nishimoto goes on to relate that law and economics both propose: "
." (Ledsham, nd) to deny gay individuals to enter into contractual marriage is to deny their children of legitimacy stability and financial security and in fact perpetrates "financial and legal violence" upon the children of these individuals
In both cases, the gay liberation and women's movements of the late sixties and early seventies gave rise to the modern lesbian and gay rights movement, focused on securing liberal citizenship rights for lesbian and gay people." (Smith, 2005) GAY MARRIAGE STATEMENT of THESIS There are some private aspects in the lives of individuals that a court of law or adjudication or governance has a right to intrude upon and one of these private life aspects is that of marriage and yet, when gay marriage is addressed it is always pro-or con gay marriage debate that ensures
¶ … Gay Marriage ARGUMENTS for and AGAINST LEGALIZING GAY MARRIAGE Those opposed to legalizing gay marriage consider it a danger to the sanctity of traditional, monogamous marriage, and maintain that expanding the notion of formal marriage to homosexual couples is a "slippery slope" that could conceivably lead to the legalization of polygamous marriage, and possibly incestuous marriage, and ultimately, even to legalized bestiality (Kurtz, 2003)
The opposition and clash of these people and our society is our so called "Culture War." The United States is listed as one of the top 10 largest national Christian populations in the world, marked at nearly 85% of the entire country (Krantz, L
This agenda is one of the most motivating details within the gay movement for Christians. The belief that a child deserves a mother and a father is the foundation of much of Christian argument (Bidstrup, 2004)
The "High Court, while increasingly sympathetic to gay rights, usually prefers moving in small, incremental steps, and regularly overturns rulings by the more liberal Ninth Circuit," writes Bob Egelko in the San Francisco Chronicle. American attitudes are changing towards gay marriage An article in the journal Social Work (Avery, et al
District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled that Proposition 8 "violated the federal constitutional rights of gays and lesbians to marry the partners of their choice" (Dolan, 2010)
S. population is identified as lesbian or gay "…and half of lesbians and gay men get married, that is only a 2% increase in the national marriage rate" not enough to make much of a difference in federal payouts (Head, 2010)
He went on to say that families are built on "indissoluble love of a man and a woman" and this is in keeping with Catholic tenets that have been in place for many years. Are television networks giving fair representation to gay marriage and gay rights? A scholarly, empirically researched article in the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media points out that while network television stories do discuss the issue of homosexuality and gay marriage, gays and lesbians are "…rarely given the opportunity to offer their own perspectives" (Moscowitz, 2010, p
He goes on to assert that the government doesn't withhold opportunities "on the ground that people or their (lawful) behaviors are immoral." For example, even if the majority of people agree that sex outside of marriage is immoral -- and even if they are correct about that issue -- it would be "wrong to withhold driver's licenses from those who have had pre-marital or extra-marital sex" (Rajczi, p
As to the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope recently criticized Spanish laws that allow gay marriage. In November 2010, the Pope was visiting in Spain and he said that homosexual acts are "intrinsically disordered" (Winfield, 2010)
Obama gave a personal account of how he "evolved" on the issue over the last few years with influences attributed to his daughters and some gay friends (Walker). Critics of Obama attributed his announcement in support of same-sex marriages; however the polls also show that the economy is generally the number one issue that voters currently recognize as a priority (Hartfield)
Much of the opposition in the political sphere is headed by the Republican Party which is generally considered more socially conservative. Ironically, there have been some internal debates about how to handle the elected officials who are both gay and Republican members (Shapiro)
In recent years, attitudes about the rights of gay couples have shifted significantly in the United States. One study analyzed the public perception over a sixteen year period and found that among White respondents the percentage of people in favor of legalized same-sex marriages jump from twenty seven percent in 1996 to forty three percent in 2012 while in Black respondents the figure rose from twenty six percent to thirty nine percent over the same period (Silver)
One of the most recent statements of support that has been made in favor of the legality of same sex couples comes from none other than President Barack Obama. Obama gave a personal account of how he "evolved" on the issue over the last few years with influences attributed to his daughters and some gay friends (Walker)
Additionally, these options are accessible, because they are culturally accepted, and expected. Groups of people who feel marginalized can come together, exercise their rights to express their complaints, and use such methods to protect their rights (Chua, 2011)