Garrett Westray

Professor Padgett
ENGL 102
April 2nd, 2016

Why are people resistant to same-sex marriage?

Over the past couple decades there has been an increase in discussion behind gay rights
and same sex marriage in the United States. The topic is becoming very prevalent in our daily
lives as we can see candidates for the upcoming election speaking out on how they feel about
gay rights on a daily basis as well. Some citizens have very strong feelings against gay marriage
for various reason, but I, personally, happen to be for gay marriage. I feel as though a persons
sexuality is very personal and should not be barricaded by any unjust laws. There are many who
would agree with me and support the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT)
community, but there are also many who would not agree with me for various reasons, such as
GOD, concerns for children raised in a same-sex marriage household, and natural law.
Here in the United States, every citizen has rights according to the constitution. One of
those rights that stands in the discussion of same-sex marriage is the Freedom of Religion. By
being gay in this country, you have the right to pursue and practice any religion you chose
without the interference of the government. When lawmakers chose to interfere with same-sex
marriage laws that goes against those constitutional rights because being gay is not a part of the
Christian religion but is a part of a religion it self. Murray Lipp, a social justice activist and
administrator of Gay Marriage USA on Facebook goes on to say It also protects those who do

not follow a religion by shielding them from being forced to live in accordance with religious
beliefs and values they do not agree with. The legalization of same-sex marriage is consistent
with freedom of religion in that it removes from marriage laws religious notions that may have
initially shaped those laws. I couldnt agree with her more because interceding on a persons
personal beliefs in doing them injustice here in our country.
In the United States the most common religion happens to be Christianity. With that
being said, that brings up a lot of controversy because being gay is not withholding Christian
values. In the bible there are many passages that can attest to this like From the beginning of the
creation, God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and
mother; and shall cleave to his wife. (Mark 10:6-7) Even though I am Christian and with that I
still believe that a persons sexuality should not be determined by their religion. Religion is
something that is very sacred and should be a personal relationship only with you and GOD.
Lawmakers should not be able to take that away from you.
There are not many other religions in the United States that say much about same sex
marriage. It is evident that many base their views on same sex marriage around Christianity
which I think is unfair. This country was not founded based around Christianity but the debate
between church and state has also become very prevalent in our generation. The church should
not have any say so in what is done as it concerns laws being made and/or passed. When the
church gets involved in laws being made I believe that adds a lot of bias to decisions being made
because people in the church are going to have their opinion just like law makers will have their
opinion. That is a major reason why the word GOD is not mentioned in the constitution.
As it stands for Children being raised in the United States under a same-sex marriage
household, that should be left up to the two people raising the children. Since one of the parents

and sometimes both will have no blood relationship to the child, a child is not always going to be
present in a same sex marriage home. That leaves it up to the people taking place in the marriage
whether they want a child or not. If they do chose to have a child, then that child can still be
properly raised like any other child. Gender should not matter when a child will have to be raised
by both sexes in a traditional family regardless.
On the other hand, some children may grow up having psychological problems because
they are growing up in an untraditional home. When we think of the traditional American family,
we think of a family that usually consists of a father figure and a mother figure running the
household. As our generation and society evolves things like that have changed like many other
things. It may not be customary for two parents of the same sex to raise a child but it still can be
done. The child can still grow up and form healthy relationships with both parents and siblings.
Same-sex marriage should only affect the parents and not the children.
I also believe in Ssame sex marriage because it is good for the economy. Bryce Covert,
an economic policy editor goes in to more depth on this topic by saying The government would
have to spend more on Social Security and the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, but
it would also save money when it came to safety net programs such as Supplemental Security
Income, Medicaid, and Medicare. On net, gay marriage would reduce spending by about $100
million to $200 million a year from 2010 to 2014. This not only benefits the people
participating in same sex marriages but also those who dont even condone same sex marriage.
Covert goes in to more depth on how not only will it help net savings, but will help the states as
well by saying, an increase in income tax revenue when couples file jointly$69,110 per year
but also an estimated $60 million spent on weddings and tourism over three years, which

could generate $3.1 million in sales tax revenue, and $538,193 in marriage license fees over
three years.
Marriage inequality is also a type of discrimination. In my opinion, people should be able
to marry who ever they want to regardless of their sex because their sexuality doesnt directly
affect others. When you take that away from people its almost like taking away someones
personality. Here in the United States we promote day in and day out all the freedoms that you
have in this country. Being able to marry who you want should defiantly be one of them
regardless of sex.
In Paul R. Brewers section in The Shifting Foundations of Public Opinion about Gay
Rights he analyzes how there has been growing support in America for gay rights policies and
same sex marriage in the past couple decades. Data taken from the 1992, 1996, and 2000
elections show how Americans began to favor gay rights and same sex marriage in such a short
period of time. A major value that can be found in this journal is that during the 1990s there
became growing support for the policies that allowed gays and lesbians to enlist and serve in
armed forces as well as not be discriminated when looking for employment. These are policies
that can are enforced today but still look to be strengthened over time.
In Colin Ashleys article she focuses on how the people protesting for gay rights were
once radical but as time passed they became more passive and less aggressive. Ashley claims that
gays and lesbians have now fought their way into the democratic process so the riots which were
once happening are now unnecessary. The main values that the LGBT community was once
protesting for was marriage equality no matter the sex. These protests that took place in the
1960s and 1970s were not only for gay rights but also tied to other major issues at that time like
civil rights and womens rights.

With the upcoming election in 2016, there is a lot of talk concerning same sex marriage
amongst all the presidential nominees and how they plan to handle it if elected. In Emma
Margolins NBC news article she speaks on how Ben Carson opposes same sex marriage and
plans to work with all Americans that oppose same-sex marriage as well. Ben Carson says
Everybody, according to our Constitution, should be treated equally and should have the same
rights. But nobody gets extra rights. Nobody gets the right to redefine everything for everyone
else and then make them conform to that,. Ben Carson also took it to another level by
pronouncing that God cant bless a country or society that has no regard for human life or one
that allows the selling of body parts.
With all that being said there are still cons to gay marriage that I dont believe in. People
of America argue that the institution of marriage has traditionally been defined as being between
a man and woman. That is true but this is a new generation and with time comes change. Our
generation has gone out on a limb in changing the way people think about certain things. People
also may say marriage is for procreation which is true but a family can still be successful without
there being a blood connection between the two parties.
Lastly I would like to point out that homosexuality and same-sex marriage is not only
prevalent in humans but is almost prevalent in many other species of animals. " Homosexuality
has been observed in more than 1,500 species, and the phenomenon has been well described for
500 of them," said Petter Bockman. This is very important when it relates to same sex marriage
as it can be proven that this is just a part of nature. Even though it may not be customary, some
men are naturally going to attract to other men, while some females will naturally attract to
females. From male killer whales that ride the dorsal fin of another male to female bonobos that
rub their genitals together, the animal kingdom tolerates all kinds of lifestyles.

People are only resistant to same sex marriage because they are not ready for change.
Change is inevitable and growth is necessary. To grow as a nation, we must be open to change
and one of those changes is accepting something like same sex marriage that is not customary.
Once everyone can accept it, the United States will be a better place as we know it and the world
will become a better place as well. No one deserves to be discriminated due to their personal
sexuality. That is taking away freedoms that everyone deserves. The United States are the land of
the free, and to be free you will follow the lands of the law but be able to freely express yourself
and beliefs in any fashion that you see fit. Lawmakers have approved same-sex marriage for that
exact reason and I hope the people still seeing it as a detriment begin to understand same-sex
marriage as well.
In closing I would like to say that same sex marriage is now finally legal in all 50 states.
This is a huge stepping stone towards equality for all in our country. Just a year ago there was
much debate around same sex marriage but it is now legal for all. We will see an increase in the
amount of same sex marriages in the United States. We will also see a boost in the economy with
tourism and marriage percentages rising daily. This will also keep politicians busy talking about
why it should not be legal. Same sex marriage and homosexuality may not have been something
that was looked upon years ago but it is now just a part of our society and a part of nature.
Garrett,
I like the topic that youve chosen here. You do a good job incorporating the voices of
your sources and your own point of view. I feel like this paper loses focus of your primary
inquiry, which is: what are people against gay marriage? It then turns into a simply, pro-gay
marriage paper. Which would be okay, you can do both. But you need to be actively answering

that research question. Yes people dont like it because of religion, mostly. But you could explore
all these ideas (about why people dont like gay marriage), and then discuss why it is no big deal.
But you are going after the issue at large, which is largely a legal one. Also, this issue has been
resolve (for the most part), so where is the exigency? Good work here, I just need a better sense
of a synthesis here and an active attempt to answer that research question.

Works Cited
Lipp, Murray. "Same-Sex Marriage Benefits Society in Many Ways." Same-Sex
Marriage. Ed. Tamara Thompson. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015. Current
Controversies. Rpt. from "7 Ways the U.S.A. Benefits From the Legalization of Gay Marriage."
Huffington Post (2 June 2013). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.
Brewer, Paul R. The Shifting Foundations of Public Opinion About Gay Rights. The
Journal of Politics 65.4 (2003): 12081220. Web.
Ashley, Colin P. "Gay Liberation." New Labor Forum (Sage Publications Inc.) 24.3
(2015): 28-32. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.
Covert, Bryce. "Same-Sex Marriage Is Good for the Economy." Same-Sex Marriage. Ed.
Tamara Thompson. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015. Current Controversies. Rpt.
from "Why Marriage Equality Is Good for the Economy and the Budget." ThinkProgress.org.
2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.
Margolin, Emma. "Ben Carson Gives South Carolina Evangelicals Red Meat Pitch."
NBC News. NBC News, 12 Feb. 2016. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.
<http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/ben-carson-gives-south-carolina-evangelicalsred-meat-pitch-n517711>.
"Gay Marriage - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. ProCon.org, n.d. Web. 28 Feb.
2016. <http://gaymarriage.procon.org/>.

Goudarzi, By Sara. "Homosexual Animals Out of the Closet." LiveScience. TechMedia

Network, 16 Nov. 2006. Web. 13 Apr. 2016. <http://www.livescience.com/1125-homosexualanimals-closet.html>.