Explaining a Concept Research Paper - Essay Example

Spilbury (6) notes that same-sex marriage, which takes place between two people of the same gender, may occur either between two men, who are known as homosexual or gay, or homosexual women, known as lesbians, while heterosexuals are attracted to members of the opposite sex. The scholar also points out that for some; homosexuality is a gradually developing realization, while some say they knew they were homosexual from a young age. Many people find their attraction directed towards a member of the same sex for a while.

This is perfectly normal and it doesn’t mean they are homosexual, though sometimes it may. The widespread of same-sex marriage within the United States and indeed over the whole world is rising with its legalization. According to a survey published in The Gay Law report in June 2013, 55 percent of Americans strongly favor or favor gay marriage, 44 percent oppose or strongly oppose gay marriage, 2 percent of the interviewees are unsure and gay marriage support has annually increased for the past two decades by 1 percent.

The total number of gay couples at the time was 594,391. According to the report, in most cities, 1-4 percent of the population is made up of gay people, with metropolitan areas having the most concentration. In an article published in The Independent in the UK, one in 100 people in the UK are gay or lesbian according to statistics published on sexuality, and more than 480,000 consider themselves gay or lesbian. A recent research by the Associated Press showed that several states in the United States allow same-sex marriage.

They include Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New York, New Hampshire, Washington and Vermont. The District of Columbia also issues licenses to same-sex couples. Massachusetts was the first to allow same-sex couples to wed. According to the article, same-sex couples have been marrying for almost 9 years within the state. The article reports that The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in November 2003 ruled that it was against the constitution to bar same-sex marriages in the state.

Same-sex weddings were allowed, starting from May 17, 2004. The research also shows that 30 states, including California, ban same-sex marriages within their constitutions. New Mexico law is however silent on the issue. At least 8 nations globally have legalized same-sex marriage, namely Canada, Belgium, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, South Africa, Sweden and Spain. Religion and Same-sex Marriage There are various attitudes and arguments for or against same-sex marriages, mostly dictated by an individual’s or group’s religious background.

According to Grill, Babst, and Pierceson (51), opposition to both same-sex marriage and same-sex relationships is most often defended for religious reasons and that both religion and sexual orientation are regarded, in theory, as private matters. Thus heterosexuality is considered the norm, and those whose practices, beliefs and identities diverge from the norm are marginalized, by being prevented from fully participating in public while open about their identities and beliefs. Christianity bases its moral stand on same-sex marriage on the biblical theory that one woman was created for one man, and that is therefore the way nature intended it.

In the Islamic religion, same-sex marriages and relationships have got strong prohibitions. Newton notes that in