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Allyson Reichert
Professor Leap
Faith, Religion, & Society
6 November 2016
Gay Rights and the Common Good
Contrary to the typical belief that the Catholic religion is against the gay and lesbian
community, it can be concluded that the church actually supports the acceptance of the matter.
However, the Catholic Church was not always accepting of the LGBT community. Throughout
the years, the church has become more accepting of homosexuals. Out of the nine key themes
of Catholic Social Teaching, five of them can be translated to support gay rights. Also, gay rights
fall right into Maguire’s Triangle of Justice. The homosexuals of the world all contribute to the
common good.
Before going into detail about the Catholic Social Teaching and the Triangle of Justice, I
first wanted to reflect upon some history and information on gay rights, specifically gay
marriage. The gay rights debate can be traced back to 1969 with the Stonewall Riots. The
Stonewall Riots took place in New York City when police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall
Inn. The gay and lesbian individuals fought back and sparked days of protesting. These riots
initiated the political movement for gay rights. At this time, homosexual sex was illegal in all
states except Illinois. In the 1970’s, the American Psychiatric Association declassified
homosexuality as a mental disorder- giving hope to the LGBT community at the time. Soon
after, the AIDS epidemic broke out in the 1980’s, which declined the progress of gay rights. This
increased the number of gay rights opponents. It was not until actor Rock Hudson was dying of
AIDS before people across the nation began to shift their views on homosexuality and AIDS.
Additionally, in 1983, Gerry Studds came out as the first openly gay Congressman, and so
further excelled the gay rights movement (Background of the Issue).
In 1993, the gay marriage debate began when Hawaii’s Supreme Court had a 3-1 ruling
granting that the state could not ban same sex marriage without a compelling reason to do so.
Unfortunately, voters approved a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage before
this issue was settled. This issue gained plenty of attention across the nation and the debates
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for same sex marriage had begun. In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the federal Defense of
Marriage Act (DOMA) which identified marriage as between a man and woman (Background of
the Issue). It also declared that no state would be forced to recognize gay marriage and that
same sex couples would not receive federal protections and benefits that heterosexual couples
received. Furthermore, in 1999, the Baker vs. Vermont case in the Supreme Court ruled
unanimously that same sex couples were entitled to the same rights, protection, and benefits
as heterosexual couples and, in 2000, Vermont was the first state to institute civil unions that
gave gay couples the same rights as heterosexual couples without calling the union marriage. In
2003, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriage. Unlike the Vermont ruling,
the Massachusetts ruling did not provide the legislature an alternative to marriage such as the
civil unions. In 2004, the first same sex marriage occurred between Tanya McCloskey and
Marcia Kadish in Massachusetts. In 2011, the Obama Administration supported a bill that
repealed the federal Defense of Marriage Act, and in 2012 President Obama became the first
US president to claim his support for same sex marriage. On June 26th, 2015 the US Supreme
Court ruled 5-4 that same sex couples have the right to marry in all 50 states according to the
constitution (Background of the Issue).
The gay rights movement falls into the Triangle of Justice as an agent of the common
good. The advocacy for civil rights is contributing to the common good. As civil rights are a
form of distributive justice, advocating for them is the common good. The social justice in this
situation would be participation of the LGBT community in the rights that heterosexual
individuals have. In order for the gay community to gain the respect that they need to feel
comfortable to openly participate as functioning members of society, we must first start with
inter-individual justice. Lending an open mind and a helping hand toward the homosexual
community supports social justice. When all of this is put together, the triangle appears as
something like this: When individuals respect and support the LGBT community (larger triangles
on the inter-individual side), the peace between the people allowing the gay community to
participate in society is social justice contributing the common good of gay rights. Thus, the
civil rights of that community are distributed back to the individual as a form of solidarity.
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Gay rights also fit into five of the nine themes of Catholic Social Teaching as shown in
Living Justice. Theme number one “The Dignity of Every Person and Human Rights” is the most
prominent supporter of the gay marriage rights. Thomas Massaro states, “…the Church has
courageously held fast to a pro-life position on numerous controversial issues, advocating
respect for all human life especially that of the vulnerable and outcast” (Massaro 116). For
those who believe that Catholics are against the homosexuals, this quote states quite the
contrary. As theme number one states, all humans are created equal and deserve dignity and
rights. So discriminating against those who are homosexual or bisexual is actually against what
Catholic Social Teaching is all about. Furthermore, this section focuses greatly on the aspect of
“universal, inviolable, and inalienable” human rights. Discriminating against a community
because of whom he/she loves is absolutely wrong.
Additionally, theme number two relates to the issue of gay rights. It is titled “Solidarity,
Common Good, and Participation” (Massaro). The evident point in this theme is depending
upon other humans and realizing it as a positive value in our lives. Also, this theme stresses the
importance of participating to contribute to the common good. If individuals would realize that
the LGBT community is a positive aspect to society in that it is just as fully functioning as a
heterosexual individual, then the common good of civil rights would be distributed back into
society. Consider how many jobs are denied to homosexuals simply because of their sexual
preference. All of those jobs would be an even greater contribution to the common good: more
tax dollars and more service to society.
Furthermore, theme number three is extremely important in the debate about gay
marriage. Family is a key aspect in the Catholic teachings and is often referred to as the “first
cell of society” (Massaro). It would be absurd to neglect a gay married couple as a family unit.
Opponents against gay marriage suggest that because a gay couple cannot physically have
children together, then they cannot be a family and, in turn, violate the Catholic stance that
God intends for couples to reproduce. However, straight couples all over the country either
cannot procreate due to health issues or give their children up for adoption. Neither of these
instances are considered to violate God’s plan, so it would be unfair to say that homosexuals
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violate God’s plan. Also, the LGBT community wishing to procreate can adopt one of the many
children who have no home.
Additionally, theme number eight supports gay rights. “Peace and Disarmament” refers
to the contribution of the peace in the triangle of justice referred to previously. In the
documents of social teaching, the “goal of justice is closely linked to the ideal of peace”
(Massaro 150). This theme also expresses the desire of Christians to protect the innocent from
harm. Gay and lesbian people are innocent and deserve to be protected from all of the
violence against homosexuals.
The last theme of Catholic Social Teaching is “Option for the Poor and Vulnerable” and
can be related to the movement of gay marriage in that the vulnerable are the homosexuals.
Massaro states, “The Church is most clearly itself when it is acting on the imperative to meet
the urgent needs of the most vulnerable-the ones Jesus loves most.” (Massaro 159). The gay
are vulnerable to society and the cruel acts of violence against them. Therefore, God is far from
judgmental about the gays. He supports them due to their vulnerability in society.
While the Catholic community has definitely become more accepting of the LGBT
community, they still consider homosexuality to be sinful. This is because they believe that
natural sexual relationships are a part of God’s plan. God intended for man and woman to be
united; therefore, it is not considered natural to be gay or lesbian. A sin is referred to as not
only rejecting God, but going against the way he created us. While the Catholics across the
nation may support the LGBT community, homosexuals are not believed to be supported by
God. Pope Francis made a statement regarding the Catholic Church’s need to apologize to the
LGBT community. According to a CNN article, Pope Francis states, "I repeat what the Catechism
of the Catholic Church says: that they must not be discriminated against, that they must be
respected and accompanied pastorally," he also adds, "The Church must ask forgiveness for not
behaving many times -- when I say the Church, I mean Christians! The Church is holy; we are
sinners" (qtd. in Pope Says Christians Should Apologize to Gay People). While some
interpretations of the Bible may condemn homosexuality, the Catholic Community is moving
towards a supportive position of the gays and lesbians.
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As I studied Judaism, I found it interesting to learn about what Jews have to say about
the gay rights movement. 80% of Jews support gay marriage (Michaelson). Upon the
legalization of same sex marriage, Jewish Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy stated,

“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest
ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a
marital union, two people become something greater than once they
were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage
embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would
misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of
marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that
they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be
condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s
oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The
Constitution grants them that right” (Kennedy).

Kennedy characterizes marriage as a fundamental right, regardless of sexual orientation. The

principle in Genesis 2:18, states that it is not good for a human to be alone, is another aspect by
which Jews support homosexuality. Jews also respect marriage equality as a religious, and civil,
right.
As a firm supporter of gay rights, it is imperative that individuals of the nation stand
together to stop the discrimination of the LGBT community. It is completely unacceptable for a
homosexual to be able to legally get married, yet display a picture form the wedding on their
desk at work and get fired for being gay. Situations like this occur all over the country and veer
away from the Triangle of Justice and the themes of Catholic Social Teaching. As we have
learned through this essay, according to the Catholic Social Teaching and the Triangle of Justice,
Catholics are changing their stance on gay marriage and becoming a more accepting
community. Gay rights are human rights and it is inhumane to fight against them.
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Works Cited
“Background of the Issue: Should Gay Marriage Be Legal?” Gaymarriage.procon.org. Procon,
21 Jan. 16. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.
Gallagher, Delia, and Daniel Burke. “Pope Says Christians Should Apologize to Gay People.”
Cnn.com. Cable News Network, 27 June 2016. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.
Maguire, Daniel C. On Moral Grounds: The Art/Science of Ethics. New York: Crossroad, 1991.
Print.
Massaro, Thomas. Living Justice: Catholic Social Teaching in Action. Chicago: Sheed & Ward,
2000. Print.
Michaelson, Jay. “The Profoundly Jewish Lesson of the Supreme Court’s Gay Marriage Ruling.”
Forward.com. The Forward Association, Inc., 26 June 2015. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.