Gay Marriage in the US

Throughout history, the discussion of human rights has always been prevalent and debated, and is still true to this day. There was universal male suffrage, and then the women’s rights, movement, and then full rights were granted to African Americans. Today, we face yet another ethical problem that must be dealt with, and today we realize what we are neglecting. Gay marriage should be legal because while some think it is not “marriage”, it goes against Christianity, and is bad for society, it actually decreases divorce rates, shouldn’t be influenced by religion and is a moral injustice if not allowed.

Many people make the claim that gay marriage isn’t truly “marriage” and is historically inaccurate. This are both false though, as almost all successful and widely trusted dictionaries don’t include anything about marriage being only between a man and a woman. Even the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines marriage as “The state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2) : The state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage”. Some will still try to pursue this claim with the statement that homosexual marriage isn’t truly marriage because it’s historically inaccurate. Yet again, this claim is false, because historically, things like family arrangements based on polygamy, communal child-rearing, the use of concubines and mistresses and the commonality of prostitution, heterosexual monogamy were most common. These reasons make the legalization of gay marriage a very reasonable thing.

Along with other claims, many argue that gay marriage is against Christianity, and therefore against the foundation of the United States of America, and detrimental to our society. While it is against the teachings of Christianity, denying gay and lesbian couples the right to a legal union sends the message that it is ok to discriminate against people, which most certainly is further against what the United States stands for today. Especially in today’s society, discrimination and social injustices must be taken with the utmost seriousness, and sending a message of allowing that type of discrimination is absolutely unacceptable. As for detriment to society, this is false, as in many cases the legalization of gay marriage has actually caused divorce rates to decline and financial gain. Like in New Jersey where it’s estimated that in three years, $248 million could be made and 800 new jobs could be created. These things make gay marriage and deniable benefit to society.

Lastly, gay marriage is socially acceptable, provides many benefits and poses a moral deficiency in our country if not legalize. There is no good reason as to why homosexual couples should not be allowed to celebrate their love in the same way heterosexual couples do. Another great benefit to gay marriage while it doesn’t allow for the pro-creation of children, it provides the opportunity for many orphaned children to be adopted and raised by still very competent parents. But overall, it is of the worst kind of evil to deny someone the right to love who they are in love with.

Overall, we have an obligation to address this issue and solve this problem. As Edmund Burke once said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” There is no time to wait, while others are deprived of their basic rights of love, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Now is the time that we act.