Term Paper on "Gay Marriage During Recent Years"

Term Paper 4 pages (1256 words) Sources: 5 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Gay Marriage

During recent years, the issue of gay marriage has been a topic of passionate debate throughout the United States. Same-sex couples feel they deserve the same legal privileges as heterosexual couples, while many religious conservatives believe that such unions are sinful, and legal critics believe that such legislation will open a Pandora's box.

In December 2006, both houses of the New Jersey Legislature passed a civil-union bill, 56-19 in the Assembly and 23-12 in the Senate. Two years ago, the state passed a domestic partnership bill for same-sex couples, thus advocates consider this new bill as a stepping-stone to gay marriage (Graham). Civil unions grant same-sex couples inheritance rights, hospital visitation rights, among others enjoyed by married couples. Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality said, "We'll be back here in two years - tops. The jump from civil unions to marriage will be far easier than the jump from domestic partnerships to civil unions" (Graham). Although Massachusetts, after a court ruling, allows gay couples to marry, Goldstein believes that New Jersey will become the first state to pass a law allowing gay marriage (Graham). However, opponents claim that civil unions will discriminate against other people who live together, but cannot marry, such as siblings, and believe that such an important issue should be put to a vote and decided by the residents of New Jersey (Graham).

Many believe that there is no substitute for marriage, and supporters of gay marriage believe that civil unions and other forms of non-marital partnership cannot give gay couples the essential benefits of marriage, even if the legal benefits are comprehensive (Rauch). Opponents argue that allowing gay marriage endangers matrimony for heterosexuals, and that creating alternatives to marriage, such as civil union, will undermine the institution of marriage (Rauch). Thus, both heterosexuals and homosexuals believe that only marriage will really do, that only marriage is marriage (Rauch).

When the United States Supreme Court struck down the sodomy laws in 2003, it basically took sides in the culture wars and dismantled the structure of constitutional law that permitted distinctions between heterosexual and homosexual unions, leading Justice Antonin Scalia to suggest that gay marriage would be the next battle (Conan). The Court's decision had an ironic effect on public opinion. According to Andy Kohut of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, more people were opposed and less in favor of gay marriage than before the Court's decision (Conan). When supporters were asked what influenced their opinions, they gave a wide range of reasons, such as "Well, it's my personal contact with homosexuals," or "It's my education," or "It's the media," while when opponents were asked the same questions, 65% said it was religion (Conan).

For many among the religious communities, such as Reverend David Rosenberry of Christ Church, the Bible specifically defines marriage as a role between a man and a woman, and the subject is not open for a debate or discussion (Conan). Rosenberry believes that the term 'same-sex marriage' is actually an oxymoron, "because physiologically, it doesn't fit...marriage is a union, a literal union between a man and a woman, made to go together, designed to go together...a same-sex marriage is some kind of innovation, so by definition, it can't be a marriage" (Conan).

Rosenberry does not deny the existence of gay sexuality or that it is an issue in today's culture, but believes "we shouldn't let the bedrock and the footing of our own culture be changed as the discussion goes on" (Conan).

Supporters of gay marriage claim that such rhetoric is an echo of sentiments expressed in previous decades concerning another issue of the marriage debate. In the mid-1950's, some 98% of American believed that inter-racial marriages were immoral and a sin against God's… READ MORE

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