Same sex marriage also commonly known as gay marriage refers to a marriage between persons who belong to the same sex or gender affliation.The issue of same sex marriage has raised eye brows in the world. Many people have contrary opinions on the issue. For a number of years the issue of same sex marriage has been a very controversial issue in the United States. This issue has received political and religious attention with each side providing contradicting opinions. This issue has received more serious attention than other issues such as abortion (Tolerance).
Many countries in the world have found themselves at a dilemma on how to find a long lasting solution for this issue. This issue raises a lot of concern because it is an issue that is entangled with the rights of individuals. On the other hand, the issue attracts attention since it is viewed as an act that is contrary to the order of nature. One would argue that same sex marriage is contrary to the acceptable code of ethics. Others view it as a manifestation of immorality in the society (Sterngass 2012).
This may be termed as moral decay. A lot of confusion occurs as the governments try to enact rules that would end this controversial issue. Governments face hard times as they try to figure out whether to embrace the gay rights or to maintain the morality levels in a nation. Taking either of the decisions, presents a significant consequence. For example, if they adopt the gay rights people would turn the rulers as unethical. On the other hand, if they fail to protect the gay rights the gay societies would complain of infringement of their rights (Stave & Mathew 1998).
Many researchers have conducted extensive research on this issue and they have attempted to find out the different persepectives on this issue. Research indicates that the issue of same sex marriage has led to splits; these splits are manifested in the political lines, geographical lines, religion and age groups.
A lot of controversy arises because the youths and the adults present different opinions on the issue of same sex marriage. Research proves that many youths and young adults especially in America support same sex marriage. On the other hand, many adults do not support this type of marriage. They feel that the youngsters have gone against the rules of nature. For this reason it has become very difficult for the two groups to agree (Andrew 2006)..
As a consequence, the adults view the youths as evil minded and they feel that their support of gay marriage is ill fated. The different views have caused intergeneration conflicts. The youths feel that the old people are misinformed and they have nothing to offer (Logan & Bruce 2000).
On the basis of religion, many religions and denominations have presented different views on the issue of same sex marriage. Many religions oppose the gay marriage and they have remained very vocal on this issue. The issue of gay marriage has caused a lot of splits in churches and denominations around the world. This occurs when some members support the gay marriages while the others do not support it. Christians have continuously based their argument on the biblical teachings which dictates that marriage is holy and only allows marriage between different sexes. Others relate the same sex marriage with the fulfillment of the prophecies made on the revelation (Sterngass 2012).
Many religions in the world are yet to formalize marriages between same sexes. Even when the law recognizes and accepts the same sex marriage, religions do not recognize it. Catholics have appeared to very vocal on their stand on this issue. The Catholics have been on the forefront in their opposition to this type of marriage (Logan & Bruce 2000).
The issue of gay marriage has caused hot debates which has caused serious political divisions. Politicians have taken different sides and they present different opinion. In some countries like the United States, most of the democracts politicians remain unopposed to the sex marriage. They present a strong argument that accommodating same sex marriage is a way of accomodating everyone in the society. They argue that gays are humans and they must enjoy their full rights and freedoms (Andrew 2006).
They argue that it would be unfair if some people became isolated due to their marriage choices. They present a strong argument that marriage is a choice and everyone has the right to chose who to marry. The issue of same sex marriage has received a lot of attention in the United States. This could be attributed to the rising number of gay personalities.
This population comprises of young youths and some adults and they feel that they require a political affiliation that would accommodate their rights and freedoms. The growing number of gays could not be ignored by the democrats who had to hunt for support from everyone. On the other hand most of the republicans strongly oppose the gay marriage (Thomas & Levy 2013).
The conservatives bank their opposition from the fact that most of Americans do not embrace gayest. They argue that even if the gays will strongly oppose their political interests they would still secure support from the larger society. They believe that gayism will cause disorder in the society. One may argue that the conservatives are out to deny some fundamental freedoms to the gays (Thomas & Levy 2013).
However, they base their argument from the holy teachings and principles of morality. Issues of same sex marriage receive serious attention in United States. In the last general elections, this issue gained a lot of interest. The argument presented was that people were choosing between a government that would embrace gay rights and one that won’t embrace the same. The Democrats which won the last general election gained a lot of support from the gay community. In their campaigns they remained unmoved in their support for gay marriage (Andrew 2006).
The conservatisms illustrated their strong opposition to the same sex marriage and they received a lot of opposition from various groups. One would argue that they lost the elections since they did not secure support from gays and their sympathizers. The independents have also presented a mixed reaction on this issue. Some of the independents believe that gay rights and same sex marriage should be allowed. However, some of them believe that same sex marriage is contrary to the holy teachings. These differences have made it hard to pass laws on same sex marriage (Spilsbury & Lousy 2013).
The various arms of the government have presented different opinions on this issue. In 1996 president Bill Clinton signed a marriage act that banned same sex marriage. Through signing of this bill, the same sex marriages would not be recognized. The bill clearly defined marriage as a legal union between individuals of different sexes (Spilsbury & Lousy 2013).
However, this decision faced opposition from some civil unions. Later in 199, the Vermont court made a ruling in favor of same sex marriages. The court ruled that gays and lesbians have to be given the same rights just like the heterosexual groups. The court of Massachusetts ruled that the ban of gay marriage presented an infringement of human rights. They declared the ban as unconstitutional (Spilsbury & Lousy 2013).
The struggle of securing the same sex marriage rights have continued for a long time. At one point the House of Representatives voted against constitutional amendments that would prohibit same sex marriage. This could mean that majority of the representatives supported same sex marriage. The senate also made the same move where they blocked a proposed amendment that would prohibit same sex marriage. United states have made serious attempts to accomodate the same sex marriage in their constitution. Courts have presented a mixed opinion based on their rulings (Logan & Bruce 2000).
The court of Massachusetts ruled that same sex couples could not get married in Massachusetts unless their states have legalized same sex marriage. In 2012, voters in some states legalized same sex marriage by passing a referendum. This was a big boost to the gays. As a result of all these issues, the same sex marriage presented a serious constitutional conflict (Andrew 2006).
At times the state nullified the same sex marriage licenses in some countries. Courts also ruled out on issuing of same sex marriages. However, the issue has received support from the different arms of the government. The parliament has agreed to make some constitutional amendments on the issue. Up to date, more than 15 countries recognize same sex marriages. They believe that gays had equal rights and freedoms like other people (Logan & Bruce 2000).
In my own opinion, I do not support same sex marriage. Marriage has a religious meaning. Marriage is viewed as a religious sacrament or ceremony. It would present a negative image that will contradict the religious faith. Same sex marriage would contradict the teachings of many religions. I would argue that religions provide a sense of moral order in the society (Thomas & Levy 2013).
Some individuals and religious groups may feel that they would violate their beliefs if same sex marriage became legal. On the other hand, human beings have to reproduce. The marriage between a man and a woman allows people to reproduce. However, the same sex marriage is unproductive. This destroys the real meaning of marriage since same sex marriage cannot produce children. Many religious teachings such as the bible strongly oppose same sex marriage. The teachings present a strict warning to those who practice same sex marriage.
According to the conservatives research, they have found that children thrive well if the grow in a conducive environment. I would also argue that children have to grow in an environment with a mother and a father. Boys and girls have needs which can only be fulfilled by parents of unique gender. Same sex marriage cannot provide a good environment for children.
On the other hand, teachings on the role of marriage in the society have existed from the ancient times. Little children have continuously learnt that marriage is holy. Introduction of same sex marriage would only cause confusion. The society will have to re educate its people on the new meaning of marriage.
Works cited
Sterngass, Jon. Same Sex Marriage. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2012. Print.
Thomas, Pat, and Lesley Harker. Same Sex Marriage. London: Wayland, 2012. Print.
Staver, Mathew D. Same Sex Marriage. Orlando, FL: Liberty Counsel, 1998. Print.
Logan, Bruce. Same Sex ‘marriage’?Tauranga, N.Z: AFFIRM Publications, 2000. Print.
Spilsbury, Louise. Same Sex Marriage. , 2013. Print.
Koppelman, Andrew. Same Sex, Different States: When Same-Sex Marriages Cross State Lines. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006. Internet resource.
