A View of the Cultural Divide: Same-Sex Marriage - Research Paper Example

Section/# A View of the Cultural Divide The United s has experienced a series of successful freedom movementswithin its brief history. First, the founding fathers helped to define the United States in a way that sought to separate it from England and subsequently fought a war of independence to affect such a goal. Secondly, another war was fought for the freedom of the slaves. Thankfully, these were the last of the wars that were fought to affect such an end. However, within the past sixty years, the nation has had a Civil Rights movement that sought to further liberate and give the same rights to African Americans that a large number of the rest of the country readily enjoyed. Similarly, within the past few decades, yet another movement has emerged within the United States with the express intent of liberating and bringing the practice of homosexuality out of the closet and into the mainstream. This anti-gay rights movement takes many forms; however, for the sake of argument and due to the brief nature of this essay, the author will concentrate on the actions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) as indicative of anti-homosexual rights with relation to the support for and subsequent passage of California’s Proposition 8. The role of the church’s leadership and doctrines is of primal importance within such an analysis due to the fact that only through understanding these can one begin to understand the frenetic nature that the church is willing to go to in order to stymie the further expression of gay rights and civil liberties within the United States. Said the church’s president to a joint meeting of the conference leadership, “The church’s teachings and position on this moral issue are unequivocal. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, and the formation of families is central to the Creator’s plan for His children. [ ] We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman. Our best efforts are required to preserve that sacred institution of marriage” (Gedick 339) The end goal of this movement has been to not only legitimize the practice, remove the shame that is associated with it, and enact laws that protect the expression thereof, but also to gain a degree of acceptance and widespread understanding within the general population (van Beek 3). However, although great strides have been made to affect a greater degree of acceptance of homosexuality, gay rights, and gay marriage, there exists a sizable group of individuals that work equally as tirelessly to legislate their own forms of morality which will adversely affect the civil rights of homosexuals. This analysis will analyze the growing desire for acceptance as a function of the battle for and against gay marriage as it transpired in California, both before, during and after, Proposition 8 (Young 131). California, oftentimes considered to be one of the most socially liberal states within the union had previously enjoyed same-sex marriage; however, a grass roots movement by socially conservative individuals both inside and outside of California were diametrically opposed to allowed same-sex marriage to continue in the state. As such, a massive campaign was instituted to seek to outlaw the practice. What is especially noteworthy about the campaign that sought to outlaw the practice is the type of nefarious means they employed to deprive Californian citizens from their right under the law to wed as they pleased. Rather than being a grass-roots campaign that originated and was funded within California, the campaign to promote Proposition 8 was heavily supported by key elements within the Republican Party from all over the United States. One such key element was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – also known as the Mormon Church. This particular religious group began a grass-roots movement both within and outside of California which leveraged the money raising potential of its many congregations across the United States. The money was then practically laundered through political front organizations and eventually made its way into the Proposition 8 movement (Block 87). This placed the gay marriage advocates at an extreme disadvantage due to the fact that they did not have a developed or widespread financial base such as that which the Mormons could rely upon. Accordingly, Proposition 8 was passed by a narrow margin and the process of gay marriage within California, which had only been briefly enjoyed, was no longer considered a legal form of state-recognized marriage. As such, the passage of Proposition 8 greatly reduced the civil rights of homosexual couples within the state of California as well as proving the necessity for homosexual rights groups to not only coordinate to a higher degree but also to develop funding streams of their own to counteract those unique elements within the American political landscape that attempt to legislate their own particular blend of morality and force that upon the general public (Quick Hits: Sex In The News 3). In this way, Proposition 8 not only showed the shortcomings of the way in which homosexual rights advocates around the nation were organized but also showed the extent to which conservative moralizers were able to hijack an entire state’s election with non-domestic money and force a resolution that outlawed a previous practice that had been approved by the judiciary at every level. In conclusion, the reader can learn that the struggle for homosexual rights extends far beyond the ability to marry and enjoy the full benefits that the law confers on those that are married, it also suffers from a nearly incessant attack by elements within the religious right and other groups that seek to continually diminish the legitimacy and lawfulness of homosexuality, marriage, and rights. In this way, regardless of one’s sexual orientation, it is incumbent upon individuals to stand up for and with the homosexual movement as a means of achieving the same level of civil rights that the remainder of society enjoys and takes for granted. Furthermore, it is necessary for individuals to be both aware and informed of the extreme measures that many within our society will go in order to deprive other members of basic civil rights that should be enjoyed by all individuals within the society of the United States of America. Works Cited Block Jr., Ray, and Richard Seltzer. "Understanding The Complex Influence Of Religiosity On The Race Gap In Support For Proposition 8." Review Of European Studies 4.4 (2012): 84-94. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Nov. 2012. Gedicks, Frederick Mark. "Truth And Consequences: Mitt Romney, Proposition 8, And Public Reason." Alabama Law Review 61.2 (2010): 337-371. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Nov. 2012. "Quick Hits: Sex In The News." Contemporary Sexuality 42.11 (2008): 7-8. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Nov. 2012. van Beek, Walter E. A. "The Infallibility Trap: The Sacralisation Of Religious Authority." International Journal Of Mormon Studies 4.(2011): 14-44. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Nov. 2012. Young, Judith A. "Same-Sex Marriage In California: After Proposition 8 Passed And Before The California Supreme Court Decision On The Challenge To Proposition 8." Lincoln Law Review 36.(2008): 131-197. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Nov. 2012. Read More