Gay Marriage and Civil Unions - Assignment Example

Paragraph A Press Release- for immediate release! A new affair sends shockwaves across the country, as the Supreme Court has legalized same-sex marriage and rejected the objection and complaints of religious organizations. In response, hundreds of pastors call out to their congregations to fast and pray for a ballot in November which will terminate this new legislation. Some even go as far as traveling the country, going through cities and towns, urging "true" believers to fast for 40 days. The only hope for these fanatic and conservative religious leaders and all others who oppose this new legislation is to try and campaign for the congress to change this legislation, due to the fact that they cannot endorse or pressure political candidates to vote against this new legislation. United by their desperate desire to prevent this legislation from enabling gay couples to marry and basically receive their equal rights like anyone else deserves to, many religious churches and perishes have banded together, putting aside their differences and dislike for one another to battle their joint enemy. As they view the act of homosexual intercourse a sin punishable by going to hell, Christians, especially Catholic leaders, have expressed their complete and total objection and disapproval of this legislation. They firmly view marriage as a contract between two people of opposing sexes, or in other words: a man and a woman. The union of two men or two women, in their eyes, is not only inappropriate but also unthinkable, as it is considered sacrilege and blasphemy, something that makes real marriages a joke, something to be taken lightly. They even go as far as to say that it will nullify the meaning of marriage, making it insignificant and irrelevant. To them, the marriage of a gay couple is like a marriage between a man and an animal, something which is clearly farfetched and absurd, but in their view, that is the case. Theyve recently made it clear that will pull out all the stops in their campaign against gay marriages, and they have been talking about it from the Pulpit, in Sunday schools, bible sessions and in any other format and place they can. Theyve also been making telephone calls, sending letters and paying visits to parishioners in an attempt to recruit more support for their fight. In addition to that they also raise money for their cause, distributing literature about the issue and manning phone banks. Incredibly, all these religious groups have succeeded in raising about 17 million dollars for this cause. However, as it turns out, not all religious and groups joined in on this attempt to cancel this legislation. Some have even been working to persuade others to support the cause of keeping gay marriage available and not abolishing gays opportunity of having similar rights as their fellow men. A coalition of religious leaders called California Faith for Equality have been trying to convince others that the new legislation is a good and positive one which represents the gay minoritys right for equality and to enjoy the same benefits as every heterosexual couple enjoys and takes for granted. They claim it is only fair for all loving couples, who want to express their love, devotion and dedication to one another, to be wed and recognized as a couple in front of god and the state, regardless of their sexual orientation. Californias Episcopal Bishops have also come out against the attempt of other religious organizations to abolish the new legislation in favor of the gay couples, stating that one of the fundamental principles of Christian faith is the love of others, no matter of who and what they are, the acceptance and tolerance of others, and certainly not the exclusion and prejudice that exist towards this minority. Rev. Peter Laarman, a United Church of Christ minister, mentioned that Jesus was also persecuted and notorious of his consorting with outcasts, and by doing so he set the best example- no one should be outcast or banned just for being who he is. And love and tolerance are essential and should be given even to people you dont necessarily agree with. As he said "when Jesus said all are welcome at the table, I think he really meant all" ("Religious leaders call", 2008) Paragraph B Norway will allow same-sex marriages Norways proclamation that it will allow same-sex marriage is very important, especially it todays time, since the issue of same-sex couples marriage is very heated topic, and many of the liberal and permissive countries have been dealing with this it and debating on what to do about it for years now. This is happening nowadays in the early years of the 21st century, as more and more people understand the importance of equality in every way and sense, and that there is a dire need to abolish prejudice and inequality everywhere. Norways approval of gay marriages is even more important to mention due to the fact that it might cause its close neighbor, Sweden, to do the same, and this in turn may encourage, or rather put pressure, on the other European countries to do the same. The world today, especially given its progressiveness and permissiveness in many areas of life, is still considered quite backwards regarding the legislation and acceptance of gay marriages, recognition of a couple (domestically, socially, financially, etc.), a couples co-habitation or their being domestic partners. Only 6 countries in the world allow gay marriages, and these are the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Spain, South Africa and Norway, which has recently passed a law in favor of it (marriages will be allowed in the beginning of 2009). Also, in the United States, 3 states allow marriages of gay couples: California, Connecticut and Massachusetts (Boswell, 1995; Wolfson, 2004; Larocque, 2006; Spedale, 2006). This subject meets the needed criteria when discussing news values, as it is one which is frequently mentioned in the press; it is meaningful to the public; has great implications; unambiguous- everyone understands what it means; describes a conflict; and mentions important people. To have a better understanding of this controversial issue, I relied mainly on books and scientific researches to know more about the history and current status and information of gays legally. The writers were chosen because they are familiar and well-known in their line of work, and are very credible. Each has published previous papers or books about the subject. Ive also turned to articles of gay activists and civil-rights movements, since they are intimately aware of the current situation, and have also chosen ones that were credible, often with a degree in social sciences. Finally, I used sites reporting about the opinion of religious groups in general. These were known news-sites so I knew they were credible and accurate. Basically, Ive always chosen these people who were very familiar with the subject, that have published prior documentations about it and that have in-depth understanding of the situation. The other sources were, as said, known news sites which are very credible and accurate, and that is why Ive chosen them. Opinions about this legislation varied. On the one hand, religious groups and fanatics often claim that no recognition of gays should be allowed, determine that being gay is a sin punishable by going to hell, that the act itself is an abomination, and continue to make outrageous claims that make no sense at all (McCann, n.d). For example, prior to a gay march in Israel several months ago, a religious minister claimed that the earthquakes that have had happened are a result of gods wrath about "male sex" of gays ("Israeli MP Blames", 2008). This preposterous statement outraged gay groups and civil-rights groups. This antagonism that is, ironically, one of the only things that Judaism, Christians and Islam have in common, as they all call the world to denounce these acts and the people doing them, claiming that they are committing a sin against god, and so on. They use claims like the one that sex is only meant for procreation, and if that can not be achieved, then it is a sin (along with masturbation or pre-marital sex, which according to religious people should not occur). Another claim they fervently protect is that marriage is "a contract between a man and a woman", something which conservative people tend to agree with (Kibler, 2008; Cline, n.d). Finally, they say that it is unacceptable and irresponsible to let gay couples adopt children, saying that they will grow up in promiscuous settings and not be raised properly. On the other hand, gay organizations, civil-rights groups and liberal people cry out against this most heinous and cruel inequality to gay people, which are 10% of the worlds community. They claim the simplest and most reasonable thing: gays arent different from others in any way but their sexual orientation, something that isnt a choice but a fact of life. Therefore, they must not be condemned to live their lives denied of basic rights which will grant them the option to establish their lives together and form a family unit which is by no means inferior to that of heterosexual couples. They also say that marriage is a proclamation of a bond of love and commitment between two people that want to be united in the eyes of god and the entire world, and theres nothing wrong with gay couples union (Head, n.d). Lastly, denying gay couples the opportunity to adopt is unfair and devoid of logic. Studies have proven that not only do children of gay couples dont suffer unhappiness or a lack of proper and attentive care in their lives, but they also grow up to be very happy people, with a balanced life and good values and respect to others as well as sensitivity and tolerance to other groups and minorities. The education they receive teaches them that they are no different than others, lets them have a wider perspective and a deeper understanding of various opinions, possibilities in life and also of family structures. Also, it has been proven that there are no differences between gay and lesbian couples and heterosexual couples in terms of parental skills, dedication, devotion, intimacy in the relationship or any other such thing; nor were there any adjustment problems for the children, by the way (Erlich, n.d).This is why many claim that gays should be allowed to adopt children, especially since so many children today in countries around the world are seeking eligible parents to raise them, some of which come from poor conditions and countries in a very bad shape. References For Paragraph A: Religious Leaders Call for Fast in Support of Gay Marriage Ban 2008. 365Gay.com. viewed October 10 2008, For Paragraph B: Boswell, J 1995, The Marriage of Likeness: Same-sex Unions in Pre-modern Europe, Harper and Collins, New York. Cline, A n.d, Arguments against Gay Marriage: Marriage is a Sacred Religious Sacrament, Viewed October 8 2008, Erlich, S n.d, Adoption and Foster Care Current Trends - Adoption by Gay and Lesbian Adults and Couples, Viewed October 9 2008, Head, T n.d, Gay Marriage and Civil Unions: A Guide to Gay Marriage from a Civil Rights Perspective, About.com. viewed October 10, 2008 from Israeli MP Blames Quakes on Gays 2008, BBC News (Middle East), London. Kibler, C.M 2008, GAC Affirms Traditional Definition of Marriage between a Man and a Woman, Maxwell and Laferty, Washington. Larocque, S 2006, Gay Marriage: A Story of a Canadian Social Revolution, James Lorimer & Company, Toronto. McCann, V n.d, A Response to the Gay Christian Movement, Viewed October 12 2008, Wolfson, E 2004, Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay Peoples Right to Marry, Simon & Schuster, New York. Speadale, D 2006, Gay Marriage: For Better or For Worse? What weve learned from the Evidence, Oxford University Press, New York. Read More