1 Matthew Durden Atreyee Gohain ENC 1143/82505 21 November 2013 As a young adult living in America today, I have witnessed

many young homosexuals become the subject of rude jokes and bullying. As a matter of fact, in our society, the terms gay and homosexual have become nearly synonymous with bad. Now today, more then ever, the subject of gay marriage is a heated one to say the least. A countless amount of angry Americans are against same sex marriage. They claim that if gay people are granted the legal authority to get married, it will destroy the sanctity of marriage, a bond between a man and a woman. A large majority of these people will quote the Bible, saying that gay marriage goes against Christianity. On the other hand, however, we have (or are supposed to have) a complete separation of church and state in America. On the other side of the argument, gay marriage supporters claim that if gay people get married, simply put, nothing will happen. They claim that the sanctity of marriage will remain intact and life will go on as if nothing has changed, except for more legal rights for gay couples. It is beginning to become clear that the legalization of gay marriage will bring only good to this country, creating a more stable and healthy social environment, and that it should undoubtedly be legalized. In America, the DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) is a ban against gay marriage at the federal level. It was Utah that passed the first act of this kind, however, in 1995. Since then, thirty-seven states and the federal government have all moved to create similar bans on gay marriage. According to Barry Adam of the University of Windsor, this rapid creation of anti-gay marriage legislation marks a

2 type of moral panic in which Americans dont know what to think or how to act when it comes to gay people. This is especially odd because of the way the rest of the world is reacting to this topic. Most other advanced industrialized nations, such as France, Canada, England, Germany, and many others, lack any sort of legislation banning gay marriage. It is in these countries that legal reform for gay couples has steadily come closer and closer to reality. The desire and efforts of American legislators to put a stop to gay marriage is unnecessary and unexplained. DOMA and all of its state-level counter parts should be struck from the statutes so that Americans can work toward equality in a fair environment. Many traditionalists believe that if gay marriage is legalized in America, it would be the equivalent of America giving its mark of approval to homosexuality. According to William Eskridge, Jr. and Darren Spedale, authors of the book Gay Marriage: For Better or for Worse?, it would just mean that America would be giving its mark of approval to committed relationships. For example, when a criminal is granted a marriage license, his criminal tendencies arent being approved, just his desire to be married is. America should support committed relationships in any form by allowing marriage. Not only does gay marriage benefit the two people who are in love by granting legal rights that come with marriage, but it also benefits the community and the children of these couples. The most recurring theme, however, in the reasons that gay people themselves give for wanting gay marriage legalized is personal security. They want to have rights in the case of one partners death that they cant get currently. They also believe that marriage would make their

3 relationship more legitimate and promote monogamy while also preventing breakups. Gay people are not the only ones who would benefit from the legalization of gay marriage, however, but society as a whole, including straight couples, will also benefit from it. Americans like marriage because marriage means stability, and the children of married couples will develop better in a stable household. Also, people look at weddings as joyous occasions, and when two gay people who are in love get married, it is just as joyous as when two straight people who are in love get married. Jonathan Rauch, graduate of Yale and contributor to numerous academic journals, encourages people to examine the concept of marriage as a whole before splitting it into simple gay and traditional marriage. In his book Gay Marriage: Why it is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America, he exposes the similarities that lie across all types of marriage. He shows that, throughout history, marriage has always been a celebration for not only the couple and their families, but for entire communities. The joining of two people in matrimony has always been good news. Gay marriage is a heated topic in America today. It is, without a doubt, debated daily. Supporters claim that, if gay marriage were to be legalized, gay couples would receive legal rights and benefits, such as immigration rights, rights to property, and so on. Also, it would allow gay couples to create more secure families, creating better environments for children of gay couples to grow up in. It would also promote monogamy and faithfulness. The only argument that the other side has is that it would ruin the sanctity of marriage, or that they simply just dont agree. Marriage, however, is a joyous bond between two people who are in love, and if

4 someone doesnt agree, then they can simply turn their head and not be affected. Gay marriage needs to be legalized in America because it would bring only good effects to this country.

5 Works Cited Adam, Barry. The Defense of Marriage Act and American Exceptionalism: The "Gay Marriage" Panic in the United States. The Journal of the History of Sexuality. 2003. Web. Eskridge, William and Darren Spedale. Gay Marriage: For Better or for Worse? Oxford University Press, 2006. Print. Rauch, Jonathan. Gay Marriage: Why it is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America. Henry Holt, 2004. Print.