What is marriage? Merriam-Webster define marriage as "the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage," or " an intimate or close union." Wikipedia (while I understand is an editable source) defines marriage as "a social union or legal contract between individuals..." The earliest known reliable records of marriage law can be found in Hammurabi's Code in ancient Mesopotamia. Marriage, then and since, was considered a legal binding, not a religious one. Marriage has evolved through the ages, and will continue to evolve to fit the society in which it exists.
Some arguments against gay marriage say that marriage is traditionally between one man and one woman. This view of marriage has evolved because of religious preoccupations with marriage, not because of society. Furthermore, what about people who aren't quite man or woman? What category do they fall in, and how do they secure all the things that comes with marriage? Besides the obvious argument of "one man, one woman," let's looks at some more arguments.
1. "Gay Marriage is against families. Gay couples can't produce children, which after all, marriage is for procreation."
The idea that marriage is solely for procreation is ludicrous. First of all, gay couples can have children. Through vitro fertilization or artificial insemination and the use of a surrogate mother, gay couples can have their own biological children. Also, there is adoption. There are currently 123,000 children (http://www.adoptuskids.org/) available for adoption in the US. There is an estimated 65,500 adopted children and 14,100 foster children living with gay and lesbian parents in the US (http://www.urban.org/publications/411437.html).
Secondly, what about couples who are infertile? Should they be banned from marriage if, in fact, the sole reason for marriage is procreation?
2. "Gay couples shouldn't have children, because they may sexual abuse them, or distort their image of sexuality and produce gay children."
The Child Welfare Information Gateway states that, "A child's risk of being molested by his or her relatives' heterosexual partner is over one hundred times greater than by someone who might be identifiable as being homosexual." According to the ACLU, citing Carole Jenny, et al., Are Children at Risk for Sexual Abuse by Homosexuals?, "There is no connection between homosexuality and pedophilia. All of the legitimate scientific evidence shows that. Sexual orientation, whether heterosexual or homosexual, is an adult sexual attraction to others. Pedophilia, on the other hand, is an adult sexual attraction to children. Ninety percent of child abuse is committed by heterosexual men. In one study of 269 cases of child sexual abuse, only two offenders were gay or lesbian. Of the cases studied involving molestation of a boy by a man, 74 percent of the men were or had been in a heterosexual relationship with the boy's mother or another female relative. The study concluded that "a child's risk of being molested by his or her relative's heterosexual partner is over 100 times greater than by someone who might be identifiable as being homosexual, lesbian, or bisexual."
Secondly, the thought that raising children in a household with two parents of the same sex will produce gay children is insane. By saying that, you may as well say that gay people are the only ones who have gay children, and straight parents always have straight children.
3. "Gay Marriage will damage the institution of marriage!"
How can one even interpret that a marriage between two people of the same sex can damage the marriage of two people of the opposite sex? Easily if you're crazy. This is a concept thrown out there by religious anti-gay marriage activists. Here, religious crazies are looking at marriage as a religious rite, rather than a legal, civil union.
Current laws that provide for 'civil unions' do not indeed provide for the same thing as marriage; marriage provides for the same thing as marriage. Under current laws, couples who are considered 'partners' or to be in a 'civil union' do not have nearly the same rights given to those couples who are married and they are actually denied 1138 rights that are given with marriage. (http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04353r.pdf)
The last thing that I want to mention is just some personal thoughts. I always wonder why people get involved in things that aren't their business. As children we learned to 'mind out own business.' However, for some reason, when it comes to laws that affect out American society, we simply CANNOT mind out own business. If you're not gay, then this really doesn't affect you AT ALL, so why does it matter so much to you? What harm would it really do (please, if there is a logical answer, I'd love to hear one. One that is clear and unbiased, lay it on me) to allow same-sex couples the right to marry. To allow them the same right every other couple has in this country. To express their love for each other publicly. Why would anyone want to stop two people who love each other from getting married?
