Hendricks/Johannes
H History/English 9- Period 5
30 October 2012
Gay Marriage Gay marriage has been legalized in six US states and the District of Columbia, as of May 10, 2012. Thirty-one states have constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage (“Gay”). The gay rights movement is traced backed to the Stonewall Riots where gays and lesbians fought back against the police that invaded their gay bars (“Gay”). This controversy is whether or not gay marriage should be legal throughout the US. Eric Zorn’s newspaper article, “Change of Subject: The Top Six Arguments against Gay Marriage”, tells about six popular arguments against gay marriage, and explains how he believes each is not valid. Zorn wrote this article to persuade opponents of same sex marriage to agree that it should be legalized, and he informs about changes in our society and why he believes gay marriage should be one of these changes. Zorn is trying to tell how over time we have created and destroyed traditions and that gay marriage should be legal because it is harmless to society contrary to popular beliefs that it could lead to legalizing polygamy or that homosexuals have immoral behavior. The author’s bias is shown in this article to be pro same sex marriage because he believes it is not morally wrong because it does not harm anyone. Zorn also states in the introduction, “I 've been informally debating opponents of legalizing same-sex marriage for nearly 20 years…” (Zorn). The newspaper article “One Man Guides the Fight Against Gay Marriage”, written by Erik Eckholm, explains how Frank Schubert is working against the idea of legalizing gay marriage. This source is made to inform about what Frank Schubert thinks about gay marriage and how he and other organizations are trying to prevent it from becoming legal. Eckholm is trying to convey that this battle between gay rights leaders and Schubert, along with other same-sex marriage opponents, will carry on into the election on November 6, 2012 (Eckholm). The bias of this source is not clearly stated in the text, because it is an informative piece. Although, the bias of the main topic of the article is against gay marriage because Schubert states, “It is possible to respect the rights of gays and lesbians without redefining marriage” (Eckholm), which shows that he does not want to change the current marriage laws; however he still respects same-sex partnerships. Diane Stewart wrote this article for sharing her beliefs on same-sex marriage because she is running for US senator. The reason Stewart wrote this article is because she wanted to tell the public that she is pro-gay marriage and explain why she believe it is okay. Stewart says that, “I also think that our society should focus more on fostering healthy relationships and promoting commitment between two individuals”(Stewart), so she believes a healthy relationship is positive no matter heterosexual or homosexual. In this source, it tells the bias that Stewart is pro-gay marriage because she believes in change. Diane Stewart states that, “I am pro-same sex marriage…Religious organizations will not lose anything if same sexes are allowed to marry. And heterosexual couples will not lose anything if same sexes are allowed to marry.”(Stewart) This tells that gay marriage is not going to detriment society in any way and that Stewart wants it to be legalized. The controversy of same-sex marriage being legalized has many arguments for either side. Overall, two out of these three sources were biased for gay marriage and one was unbiased. So, these articles are biased more towards legalizing homosexual marriage. The articles say that love is love no matter what gender, and it does not harm anyone, which is why they are biased for gay marriage.
Works Cited
Eckholm, Erik. "One Man Guides the Fight Against Gay Marriage." Editorial. New York Times 9 Oct. 2012: n. pag. The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Oct. 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/us/politics/frank-schubert-mastermind-in-the-fight-against-gay-marriage.html?pagewanted=all>.
"Gay Marriage ProCon.org." Gay Marriage ProCon.org. ProCon, 11 Oct. 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://gaymarriage.procon.org/>.
Stewart, Diane. "Pro-Same Sex Marriage." Campaignsitebuilder.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <http://www.campaignsitebuilder.com/templates/displayfiles/tmpl210.asp?SiteID=3 508>.
Zorn, Eric. "Change of Subject: The Top Six Arguments against Gay Marriage (and Why They All Fail)." Editorial. Chicago Tribune n.d.: n. pag. Change of Subject: The Top Six Arguments against Gay Marriage (and Why They All Fail). 19 May 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2012/05/the-top-six-arguments-against-gay-marriage-and-why-they-all-fail.html>
Cited: Eckholm, Erik. "One Man Guides the Fight Against Gay Marriage." Editorial. New York Times 9 Oct. 2012: n. pag. The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Oct. 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/us/politics/frank-schubert-mastermind-in-the-fight-against-gay-marriage.html?pagewanted=all>. "Gay Marriage ProCon.org." Gay Marriage ProCon.org. ProCon, 11 Oct. 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://gaymarriage.procon.org/>. Stewart, Diane. "Pro-Same Sex Marriage." Campaignsitebuilder.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <http://www.campaignsitebuilder.com/templates/displayfiles/tmpl210.asp?SiteID=3 508>. Zorn, Eric. "Change of Subject: The Top Six Arguments against Gay Marriage (and Why They All Fail)." Editorial. Chicago Tribune n.d.: n. pag. Change of Subject: The Top Six Arguments against Gay Marriage (and Why They All Fail). 19 May 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2012/05/the-top-six-arguments-against-gay-marriage-and-why-they-all-fail.html>
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