Implications of the Gay Marriage Issue

The question that I'm sure many have asked along this deep journey into the topic of gay marriage is, "So what would be the big problem if we just left things the way they are?" Well, for one, there is no national concensus on the legal issues regarding gay marriage. While I highly doubt that all American's will someday agree on whether gay marriage is right or wrong, there still needs to be a standard for all Americans to follow. That is something that at this moment we do not have. While some states have passed laws that permit the marriage of two homosexual partners, most do not allow this practice within their borders. Recently, this has caused major problems among differing states. Though one state may recognize a homosexual marriage as exceptable and allow them all the same rights and priviliges as another married couple, another state may not which raises the question of which state's law overrules? Surely the only way for some solution to come about is through the national government setting a standard that will overrule all lesser state laws. Though several amendments have failed to be passed in recent years, Congress has remained steadfast in trying to pass an amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Until this or another amendment is passed defining marriage in a specific manner, there will be no solution to the issue at hand. Either way, someone will be upset by the decision of the national government but atleast a decision will have been made and the current confusion and unrest settled.

A Few Good Links

I gathered a few good links related to the topic of gay marriage and grouped them together depending on the aspect of the issue they explore. Hopefully these will be helpful for anyone interested in looking deeper into the topic of gay marriage.

These sites explore the views of those that are for the right of gay marriage:
http://www.soulforce.org/article/homosexuality-bible?gclid=CLjmgdGq7o4CFSasGgodCSh0EQ
http://web.morons.org/feature/marriage.jsp
http://www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/publications/Love%20Counts.pdf
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2vT3Plp6b4U

These sites explore the views of those that are against the right of gay marriage:
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/wm577.cfm
http://www.allianceformarriage.org/site/c.jjJZIgMWLwG/b.2002891/k.BDF9/Home.htm
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=23359
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/MarriageDebate/ConsequencesMD.cfm
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Family/MarriageDebate/WhatCanBeDone.cfm

These are a few sites exporing the differing political views on the issue of gay marriage:
http://www.selectsmart.com/president/2008/comparethem.html
http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/reports/reports/final_candidates_positions.pdf
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/07/14/mccain.marriage/
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0beS3UjEfjU
http://www.docuticker.com/?p=9135
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2vT3Plp6b4U
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14037-2004Jul25.html

These are just a few random links that cover all sides of the issue:
http://web.morons.org/feature/marriage.jsp
http://ttssm.blogspot.com/
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=23359
http://blogs.salon.com/0001137/stories/2003/08/14/gayMarriageendTheBan.html
http://www.loveisloveislove.com/
http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/mtarchive/002470.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Marriage_Amendment

Hope these links were a help in gaining a better understanding on the topic of gay marriage.

An Ever-Increasing Population

There has been an unprecidented growth in the gay, lesbian, and bisexual community within recent years. Between the 2000 and 2005 census the population of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals increased by 30% to 8.8 million Americans. There are now gay and lesbian men and women living in every county in the United States. With such large numbers of homosexuals still increasing in America, it seems that more and more support is gained everyday for gay rights including gay marriage. It seems only a matter of time before the majority of Americans who are against gay marriage will soon become the minority. We all, as citizens of this nation, need to stand up for what we believe and fight for our beliefs.

My Theory Post

Why can't the national government come to a consensus on a policy for gay marriage? For one, there is a large undecided debate over whether the national government even has the right to control the institution of marriage. There are many who believe that the government doesn’t have the right to interfere with the institution of marriage because it is a religious ceremony and not a government given right. Within the government itself, Congress cannot seem to come to any kind of conclusion on what decisions should be made to establish the true definition of marriage. Though many constitutional amendments have been put forth, both the House and Senate are still divided on the issue and not one has yet passed.

Decrease in Population

Though there may be some minor short term benefits to allowing gay marriage, the long term consequences are not worth the risk. The first and most obvious consequence to allowing gay marriage would be the drastic decrease in population. What if everyone decided that they were a homosexual? It may sound a little extreme, but if that happended the human race as we know it would cease to exist. Though we as humans will most certainly never completely stop reproducing, with the tolerance and allowance of gay marriage, there could eventually be a drastic decrease in population. Permitting gays and lesbians to marry would also have other far reaching affects. In nations such as the Netherlands that have instituted gay marriage there has been a higher percentage of children born out of wedlock, a higher percentage of induced abortions among teenagers, an increase in divorce rate, and an increased number of couples among all education levels choosing not to have children. We need not try this idea of gay marriage out in this country. All we need to do is look at those nations across the world that have made this decision themselves and see the consequences of their actions.

The Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA)

Currently, the right to civil marriage is governed by individual states and not the national government. The Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) would take this power from the states and put it in the hands of the Federal Government. The FMA, also known as the Marriage Protection Amendment, has been introduced in Congress 3 times (2003, 2004, and 2005/06). The '05/'06 version of the bill is word for word with the '04 version with exception to the title and would define marriage as strictly between a man and a woman. Though the proposed amendments have gradually gained support, none have yet been passed by Congress. I personally am in support of this bill. I believe that the definition of marriage should be permanetly set as part of the Constitution as a union between one man and one woman.

The Ongoing American Debate

The issue of gay rights and in particular gay marriage has become one of the most highly debated topics in the United States over the past several decades. With so many schools of thought on what is the right decision regarding the matter, it makes it extremely difficult to divide the issue into merely “black and white.” It really isn’t so clear cut, but for the purposes of discussing both sides of the issue I will simply separate the beliefs as either “for” or “against” and go deeper into the divisions of each belief within each side of the matter.

Those that are against the right to gay marriage feel so mostly because of religious issues of morality. They support their arguments with the Bible, claiming that homosexuality is a sin and cannot be tolerated. While some religious extremists believe that gays are “sinners” and should be punished for their sexual preference, most believe simply that the homosexuals themselves are not bad people but that they still do not have the right to be married to those of the same gender. They claim that by allowing the freedom of gays and lesbians to marry we are only further destroying the family unit that has already been altered drastically in the past 50 years. Other anti-gay marriage supporters have observed other nations who have allowed the freedom of gay marriage and have seen the so-called “devastating effects” of doing so. Furthermore, there is also the belief that the freedom to marry is not a protected right in the United States Constitution. The freedom to marry is not a government-given freedom. It is a religious and ceremonial event that is not a guaranteed right to all Americans.

Those that are for the freedom of gay marriage argue this for several reasons. They may say that it is part of every Americans rights to be married however and to whomever they choose. They wonder why anyone else should care who they choose to marry, it isn’t effecting anyone else. They may claim that the Constitution does in fact protect every Americans right to marriage. Some supporters argue that the Bible does not even condemn homosexuality, or at least the homosexuality that we know today. When using the Bible and the Constitution to back up your arguments, it all comes down to personal interpretation. So many people can read the same words and understand them in two completely different ways. There is even a school of thought that says that if gay marriage was allowed, all the various taxes and fees that are tied to marriage and weddings would provide a great amount economic benefit.

The political positions of government officials in the issue of gay marriage is pretty much right down the middle with a few exceptions. In recent years there has been a huge incease in the raising and spending of money in both parties to win support in this issue. In the 2008 Presidential Campaign (click here and here for more), mostly all Republican representatives believe that “marriage is a union between a man and a woman” and with the exception of a few candidates, including McCain who seem to be moving back and forth, do not support same-sex civil unions. Democrats, on the other hand, tend to overall support gays and lesbians when it comes to marriage and civil unions. Presidential candidates, Clinton and Kucinich, both opposed a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as a union between a man and woman and Gravel is strongly in support of gay marriage. Most other Democratic candidates, though not in support of gay marriage are in full support of same-sex civil unions and gay domestic partner benefits. Overall, there are only a very minimal number of candidates that are in full support of gay marriage. Most are either just in support of same-sex civil unions or against both marriage and civil unions between gays and lesbians.

As far as the American public is concerned, there has been a steady shift in the numbers favoring gay marriage rights in recent years. Bans on same-sex marriage performed very poorly in the November 2006 elections. The percent of voters supporting gay marriage bans dropped 9 percent from it’s previous figure of 71% in the 2004 election. While the national government has yet to pass any amendment regarding marriage, states are taking steps themselves to further gay rights. Twenty seven states have passed marriage protection amendments up to this point and more may do so in the near future. Even with this decreasing amount of support for gay marriage bans, the percentage of Americans that still are against the legalization of gay marriage is 61%.

I myself, on this issue of gay marriage, still stand with the 2/3 of Americans who believe that it is not something that should be legalized. I feel this way do to my religious beliefs and simply feel that it is an issue of morality. I do not believe that gays and lesbians are bad people. I just believe that we must do all in our power to safeguard the family unit based on a marriage between a man and a woman and nothing else. Romney said, "Every child has a right to have a mother and father.” This is the proven best way to raise children and should be insured that every child recieves this benefit of true families.

Nonviolent Protests for Equal Rights

The gay and lesbian communittee has been stiving for decades to get the government to pass laws that will allow equality of all people no matter their sexual preferences. The main focus has been the right to gay marriage. Through the years of struggle there have been many ways supporters have protested their rights. As of late there has been an increased focus in the area of non-violent protests and resistance. One specific example of this took place in Englewood, Colorado on September 25, 2007. Kate Burns and Sheila Schroeder were arrested under the charge of trespassing after entering the Denver Clerk and Recorder Office, being denied a marriage license, and refusing to leave. One other example of this type of non-violent protest took place all across the country on October 7-13, 2007. In this instance the supporters were all straight people who "came out" to support equal rights for homosexual Americans. Over the course of the seven nights, groups of staight Americans from numerous cities in the United States held overnight vigils in support of gay and lesbian rights. Whether by homosexuals or straight Americans, support for equal rights is definetly growing. Though these non-violent protests may not have any immediate effects, it atleast causes people to think and question what is right. I believe it is good what people are doing in support of allowing equal rights, especially in the area of marriage, but I am still in the majority of 2/3 of Americans that believe that the right to gay marriage should remain unprotected.

Can one be gay and still a Christian?

Some that are opposed to idea of gay marriage feel that it is simply morally wrong. They claim that the Bible condemns the practice of homosexuality and that we should not encourage the practice by allowing the marriage of such persons. In an pamphlet written by Rev. Doc. Mel White called "What the Bible says--and doesn't say--about homosexuality" White discusses how one can be gay and still be Christian (http://www.soulforce.org/pdf/whatthebiblesays.pdf). He states how many, though well-intentioned, are misinformed in regards to the Bible. "These folks value scripture and are serious about seeking its guidance in their lives. Unfortunately, many of them have never really studied what the Bible does and doesn't say about homosexuality." White explains how neither Jesus nor the Jewish prophets ever once speak on the topic of homosexual behavior. The entire Bible, which is composed of over one million of verses, mentions the topic of homosexuality no more than seven times. And in the versus where it is mentioned, it is frequently misunderstood. One example is the infamous story of the city of Sodom in Genesis 19: 1-14. Sodom was destroyed not because of its homosexual practices but because "she and her suburbs had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not help and encourage the poor and the needy. They were arrogant and this was abominable in Gods eyes" (Ezekiel 16:48-49). He goes on to explain how the main focus of biblical prophets, including Jesus, is to "love one another." We should focus more on this commandment and less on discriminating against our fellow brothers and sisters. White's final arguement is that no matter what the Bible says in regards to homosexuals, they should not and cannot be denied their basic civil rights. "To discriminate against sexual or gender minorities is unjust and un-American...Our nation is governed by the Bill of Rights and the Constitution...If the Bible replaces the Constitution as the law of the land, we undermine the great foundation upon which this country was built."

Which is "right?"

With so much support on both sides of the issue, same-sex marriage has become a hot topic for debate in the past several years not only among the American public but in politics as well. Those that are for the right to participate in gay marriages believe that it is part of every citizens inalienable rights of being an American to choose for themselves their sexual preference. They also feel that their decision to live a homosexual lifestyle does not effect anyone else besides themselves and therefore should be allowed. Those that are against the legalization of gay marriages would state the exact opposite and claim that a person’s decision to live that type of lifestyle effects others besides just themselves. One instance of this is the example of gay couples adopting children and whether or not this is a suitable environment for a child to be raised in. Many others who are not in support of gay marriages also believe that it is a morality issue and simply not right; more specifically, not right within the realm of the church. With many church’s now altering their previous standards for membership in order to allow homosexuals to remain members, there is what many would call a corruption of the church taking place. This issue of homosexuality within the church is probably the most controversial element of this ongoing discussion.