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Ryan Mills
Professor Ogbara
English 1A - 32469
April 15, 2015

Gay Marriage: All Men Are Not Created Equal

There are many issues of injustice and inequality that impede the average US citizens
access to the American Dream. For many US citizens there are no solutions to these injustices
that they face. The American Dream is founded upon the Declaration of Independence, which
states that all men are created equal with the right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness (Jefferson; par. 2). A more recent inequality in the United States is that in many
states, same sex couples do not have the right to get married. Same sex marriage has been an
issue for Americans for many years now, in Gay Marriage as a Religious Right Delaet states
that Proponents of gay marriage in the united states have framed gay marriage as an equal
rights issue emphasizing same-sex couples lack of access to the fundamental rights and legal
securities associated with marriage (Delaet 298). What Delaet means by this is that same sex
couples do not get the same type of treatment that heterosexual couples do, this denies them
access to the American Dream. The real issue is how people most people view homosexuality, be
it from ignorance or from their religious beliefs. When these people define what marriage is they
do it believing that homosexuality is a choice, or that homosexuality is a sin. These views can
factor into finding a solution of the issue that many same sex couples are unable to get married.
Many people would argue that these views are part of their religion and that trying to change
them would be a violation of their religious freedom. While these claims are true and the

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constitution does give us the right to exercise our religious beliefs, it also stops us from forcing
these beliefs onto others. Denying same sex couples the right to be married is an injustice to the
American Dream, they should be able to have the same rights that other couples have.
Many people view homosexuals as if they are a threat to be dealt with and as if they have
a choice to be gay or straight. There have even been propositions that have been passed that have
kept same sex couples from marriage in some states. One of the more well known of these
propositions was proposition 8. In 2008, proposition 8 made changes to the California
Constitution to get rid same-sex couples right to marry in the state of California and makes it so
that only the marriage between a man and a woman is a recognized form of marriage in the state
of California (Proposition 8). In Prop 8 Hurt My Family -- Ask Me How, an anonymous
homosexual describes the conditions that same sex couples had to endure, they describe it as
Not only did LGBTI people lose their right to marry, but they were verbally assaulted, had
property vandalized and destroyed, received death threats, and several people reported being
terminated from their jobs because they were gay and/or due to their opposition to Prop
8.(Lisle, Cullen, and Colombo 84). People who were gay or supported proposition 8 were
attacked and abused because of their sexual orientation or support of sexual orientation and now
that they have a proposition that restricts same sex couples from being married, impeding them
further from the American Dream. Many of the people who oppose gay marriage give reasons
similar to why interracial marriages should not be allowed before 1967. They give reasons like
that allowing same sex marriage would be a slippery slope and would allow for marriage of
animals or inanimate objects. They also view it as a threat to their own marriages as if allowing
same sex marriage would invalidate their own. They base these reasons on their feelings and lack
of understanding and not based on the facts presented to them.

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Some people who are religious may think that homosexuality is against god is unnatural
and that it is something that they chose to be instead of being born that way. If homosexuality
was a choice then why would so many of them choose to harm themselves? In Ten Reasons
Why Gay Rights Is a Religious Issue Michaelson states that The suicide rate among gay
teenagers is estimated to be six times that of straight ones. Need we say more? Does this statistic
not teach us both that sexuality is a trait, not a choice (its odd to kill yourself because of a
choice, no?) (Michaelson; par 10). But homosexuality isnt a choice. If homosexuality was a
choice then homosexuals wouldnt think that it something to be ashamed of because of some
misguided belief that what they are is wrong. In his article The Conservative Case For Gay
Marriage: Why Same Sex Marriage is an American Value Theodore B. Olson argues that same
sex marriage is an important value that Americans believe and to equal rights and how we have
fought for equal rights in the past such as womens rights, to free the slaves and to get rid of
segregation. He also states that people dont choose to be homosexual just as people dont chose
to be heterosexual: Science has taught us, even if history has not, that gays and lesbians do not
choose to be homosexual any more than the rest of us choose to be heterosexual(Olson; par.
23 ). It has been proven by science and by past experience that being gay is not a choice. Olson
also claims that, To a very large extent, these characteristics are immutable, like being lefthanded. (Olson; par. 23). Being gay is something that cannot be changed, it is a characteristic
that we are born with like being left handed. Homosexuals do not get to choose their sexual
orientation and should be able to have same sex marriage.
Being homosexual brings out the fear of expressing who they are and being able to
express their true personalities because they feel that they are judged, not accepted for
themselves and also not accepting of themselves because of what others have told them. These

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issues have led to suicidal thoughts in many homosexual people. In the article The Attitudes of
Black and White College Students Toward Gays and Lesbians the authors state that Gay
persons face a steady battle against prejudicial views, discrimination, harassment, and even
assault (Jenkins, Lambert, and Baker 2). The attitudes of black and white college students
toward gays and lesbians speaks volumes about how different college students of different races
deal with homophobia. In a survey of 129 students taking psychology courses it was reported
that the students have heard multiple verbal assaults against gays and lesbians, two-thirds saw
graffiti of these verbal assaults. In a survey of 489 students from six California colleges the
students reported engaging in hateful behavior towards gays and lesbians, 10% actually
physically attacked gays and lesbians (Jenkins, Lambert, and Baker 3). The fact that these types
of attitudes towards gays can be so abundant in what most people consider the most accepting of
gays can show you had bad these viewpoints can be among the more unforgiving people. This is
definitely an issue that needs to be fixed. Michaelson also talks about the common suicide rate in
homosexuals and states that the suicide rate among teens is high, it is estimated to be six times
that of straight ones (Michaelson; par. 10). Michaelson feels that if being homosexual was a
choice, then why would they make that choice and then want to harm themselves. According to
the Center for Disease Control the suicide rate among teen is approximately 10 deaths for every
100,000 people (CDC 2011). This would mean that for every 100,000 people 60 gay people kill
themselves. How can this not be considered a problem if this many people feel the need to take
their lives?
Religious communities feel that same sex marriage is a sin due to the fact of what they
believe that the Bible says which can be misinterpreted. In the scholarly article Ten Reasons
Why Gay Rights is an Issue Jay Michaelson states ten reasons why religions should accept same

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sex marriage. In the article, he gives different reasons to show why God would not want equality
based on sexual orientation. Many people are taught that being gay is wrong from what they read
from the bible, which can give the the mindset that same sex marriage is unnatural and sinful.
Michaelson also argues that God wanted partnership for Adam in the Bible, thats why God
created Eve for Adam. Michaelson also explains in his first reason It Is Not Good to Be Alone,
what people who are against same sex marriage say what the meaning of Adam and Eve is in the
Bible.
Opponents of the same sex marriage remind us that in genesis its Adam and Eve, not
Adam and Steve, but Adam and Eve is the solution to a problem: the existential crisis of
aloneness. In fact, after the long series of good things God sees during the creation
process Adams aloneness is the first thing that is not good ( Gen. 2:18). It is the first
natural condition which, the Bible tells us, is not to be left as is. Love togetherness,
mutual support- these are the essential qualities of the partnership God creates
(Michaelson 35).
What Michaelson is saying is that God created Eve to keep him from being lonely and to give
him a way to love and have partnership with another person. That the not Adam and Steve
argument doesnt hold any water because the Eve was created for companionship not to be
married. The bible didnt say that God made Eve a woman because thats how it should be, and
thats where religions get their way of seeing same sex marriage as unnatural and sinful. This is
where churches start teaching the wrong way and misrepresenting the way that the Bible is
written.
Gay marriage is taken up as an issue because of what people perceive it to be between a
man and a woman. In "The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage" Olson states that Marriage is

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one of the basic building blocks of our neighborhood and our nation. We encourage couples to
marry because the commitments they make to one another provide benefits not only to
themselves but also to their families and communities (Olson 77). The reasons for marriage is
that it is a commitment between two people who care for each other and want to start a life
together which provides benefits to themselves and others. No reason is given to say that same
sex couples do not provide benefits to society, some would even say that they would provide
more than straight couples. Olson also argues that Marriage requires thinking beyond ones own
needs. It transforms two individuals into a union based on shared aspirations, and doing in doing
so establishes a formal investment in the well-being of society (Olson 77). Marriage consists of
a commitment between two people who care for each other and want to start a life together and
invest in being with each other. No matter the issues a marriage goes through, the sex of the
married couple does not apply. Arent the wedding vows for better or for worse, in sickness and
in health, for richer of for poorer? It doesnt say anything about the coming together as a man or
woman. As to what George Bush states is the definition of marriage in Debra L. DeLaet and
Rachel Paine Caulfields article Gay Marriage as a Religious Right: Reframing the Legal
Debate over Gay Marriage in the United States: The union of a man and a woman is the most
enduring human institution, honoring honored and encourage in all cultures and by every
religious faith. Ages of experience have taught humanity that the commitment of a husband and
wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of
society. (Delaet, Caufield 306). Marriage is basically two people. The gender of the married
couple does not matter. What matters is coming together out of love and caring for each other
because they built a bond with each other that they feel is strong. Its not what other people think

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which is the union between just a man and a woman thats not the case it is between all different
races and genders man and woman , woman and woman, and man and man.
Through the all the research I have done, I found that not all religions find same sex
marriage an issue. It is the individuals who interpret the Bible to fit their beliefs and twist Gods
words for their use. But religious groups separate themselves from the states laws based on the
first Amendment that guarantees of religious liberty and non-establishment of religion. Just
because some states are starting to legalize same sex marriage doesnt mean that churches have
to give their blessings because judges have the same power to unify two people wanting to be
married. I do agree that the church and different religions have their own beliefs about things, but
I disagree that they would deny marrying off a same sex couple if thats what the couple wants to
do and get married inside the house of God.
A solution to same sex couples not being able to be married is to change the way
religions and people view same sex couples in general. Another solution is to expose them to
facts so they can base their opinions on what they know and not just what they feel. People wont
just change their mind and give the right to gay marriage for no reason. Martin Luther King Jr.
says it best in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail: We know through painful experience that
freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed (par
11). People have been told that there is only one way to marry, and thanks to those teachings
thats what they think is what they think what God put us on this earth for. One solution to fix
this issue is to fix how religious people view same sex marriage despite what they religious
teachings have showed them and they should be for same sex marriage because of what they feel
is write and not what some has told them right or wrong based on their religion. Another solution
is to make changes to the law that make gay marriage legal. The fact that people against same

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sex relationships are convinced that someones sexual orientation can be changed. The next time
a law comes to pass same sex marriage, when more people are more accepting and informed of
same sex couples, the states that have banned same sex marriage will now have laws that allow
it, giving them access to the American Dream.
I do seek a solution to this issue in the United States and wanted to show how gay rights
in the religious community is an issue in the United States. I do agree that in order to go by the
religious teachings and to change your mind set to what people actually think is right is the best
solution because no one can think for other people. I hope that see that this issue is take dozens
of live because people dont feel accepted and talked about as if they are a disease. People should
treat each other with respect and equally no matter what theyre situation because everyone isnt
perfect, after all isnt that what the American Dream is all about?

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Works Cited
Delaet, Debra L., and Rachel Paine Caufield. "Gay Marriage as a Religious Right: Reframing the
Legal Debate over Gay Marriage in the United States*." Polity 40.3 (2008): 297-320.
JSTOR. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.
Jefferson, Thomas. "The Declaration of Independence." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall
Association, 4 Jul. 1776. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.
Jenkins, M., E. G. Lambert, and D. N. Baker. "The Attitudes of Black and White College
Students Toward Gays and Lesbians." Journal of Black Studies 39.4 (2007): 589-613.
JSTOR. Web.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. "Letter from Birmingham Jail." African Studies Center. 14 Apr. 1963.
Web. 29 Mar. 2015.
Lisle, Bonnie, Robert Cullen, and Gary Colombo. "Prop 8 Hurt My Family -- Ask Me How."
2009. Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. 8th ed.
Bedford/St. Martin's, 2010. 84-88. Print.
Michaelson, Jay. "Ten Reasons Why Gay Rights Is a Religious Issue." Tikkun 25.4 (2010): 3470. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
Olson, Theodore B. "The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage." Newsweek.com. Newsweek
LLC, 18 Jan. 2010. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.
"Proposition 8 - Title and Summary - Voter Information Guide 2008." Proposition 8 - Title and
Summary - Voter Information Guide 2008. California Secretary of State. Web. 29 Mar.
2015.