Gay Marriage Controversy
Gay Marriage
Many same-sex couples want the right to get married because they are in love. Many, in fact, have spent the last 10, 20 or 50 years with that person, and they want to honor their relationship in the greatest way our society has to offer. By making a commitment to stand together in good times and bad, through all the joys and challenges family life brings, and to show that off to the public, just like other married couples. Same sex marriage should be legalized because they have a right as individuals of the United States to love whoever they want, and whoever makes them happy, and as citizens of the U.S., they should not be discriminated against based on sexuality.
To begin with, many parents want the right to marry because they know it offers children a fairly vital “safety net” and almost guarantees protections that unmarried parents cannot provide. And still other people, both gay and straight, are fighting for the right of same-sex couples to marry because they realize that it is not fair to deny some families the protection that all other families are eligible, and completely able to enjoy (Human Rights Campaign). Some may argue that having lesbian, or gay parents hinders children. On the contrary, a study done by Nanette Gartrell, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco (and a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles), and Henry Bos, a behavioral scientist at the University of Amsterdam, in which they focused on what they call “planned lesbian families”, or households in which the mothers identified themselves as lesbian at the time of artificial insemination. (Park). Surprisingly, the study showed that children raised by lesbian mothers, whether the mother was partnered or single, scored very similarly to children raised by heterosexual parents in their development and social behavior. These findings were expected, the authors said, although they were surprised to discover that children in
Many same-sex couples want the right to get married because they are in love. Many, in fact, have spent the last 10, 20 or 50 years with that person, and they want to honor their relationship in the greatest way our society has to offer. By making a commitment to stand together in good times and bad, through all the joys and challenges family life brings, and to show that off to the public, just like other married couples. Same sex marriage should be legalized because they have a right as individuals of the United States to love whoever they want, and whoever makes them happy, and as citizens of the U.S., they should not be discriminated against based on sexuality.
To begin with, many parents want the right to marry because they know it offers children a fairly vital “safety net” and almost guarantees protections that unmarried parents cannot provide. And still other people, both gay and straight, are fighting for the right of same-sex couples to marry because they realize that it is not fair to deny some families the protection that all other families are eligible, and completely able to enjoy (Human Rights Campaign). Some may argue that having lesbian, or gay parents hinders children. On the contrary, a study done by Nanette Gartrell, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco (and a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles), and Henry Bos, a behavioral scientist at the University of Amsterdam, in which they focused on what they call “planned lesbian families”, or households in which the mothers identified themselves as lesbian at the time of artificial insemination. (Park). Surprisingly, the study showed that children raised by lesbian mothers, whether the mother was partnered or single, scored very similarly to children raised by heterosexual parents in their development and social behavior. These findings were expected, the authors said, although they were surprised to discover that children in
Cited: "Marriage." Human Rights Campaign. Human Rights Campaign, 2012. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. Nagourney, Adam. "Court Strikes Down Ban on Gay Marriage in California."The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 Feb. 2012. Print. 21 Feb. 2012. Park, Alice. "Study: Children of Lesbians May Do Better Than Their Peers."Time. Time Magazine, 07 June 2010. Print. 21 Feb. 2012. "PLESSY v. FERGUSON."Plessy v. Ferguson. IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. "Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions, and Domestic Partnerships."Same-Sex Marriage News. New York Times, 21 Feb. 2012. Print. 21 Feb. 2012. "Sexual Freedom." Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance. Woodhull Freedom Foundation, 2012. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. Zernike, Kate. "New Jersey Senate Votes to Legalize Gay Marriage." The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 Feb. 2012. Print. 21 Feb. 2012.