Social Issues in Same-Sex Families - Case Study Example

Social Issue A social condition usually prevails as a quality that is identified in the society like divorce, market economy, globalization, divorce and so on. It now transforms into a social problem or a social issue when the society begins to debate on whether it is problem or not. The social problem I am going to dwell on is the same-sex marriage. A few states in the United States have in the past few years allowed same-sex weddings. In Australia, same-sex marriage has been prohibited b common law under the Marriage Act 1961. A sufficient number of people think same-sex marriage is a threat to the well-being of the society. This does not mean that same-marriages should be prohibited but it is because a large number of people think it should be eradicated from the society and still a large number thinks it should be allowed. This thus, makes it a social problem. The thought of our sociological perspective is forced by this issue. There is a question of whether the society should maintain traditions that will promote social solidarity and social unity or should it allow liberty of individuals. To what limit should individual freedom be constrained by calling for adherence to moral beliefs that area commonly held? This issue enables individuals to face their beliefs on how to shape and organize their society and help to understand their sociological perspective. Deciding on what social policy is best to same-sex marriage helps individuals understand their positions of philosophy and the approaches they prefer towards building a better society. People support equal rights for homosexuals; housing, public accommodations, jobs, protection of the law and government benefits. A large percent of the people who support gay rights are still against gay marriages. They support gay rights because of passion and the fact that they don’t understand what homosexuality is. There have been stereotypes about same-sex relationships and great misunderstanding of what same-sex marriage is all about. From the sociological perspective the family is known to be an institution within the society because it is from a family that the society is built. Many researches show that a family is an indicator that is leading in crime, education, class, social mobility and so on. Both female and female have a part in contribution to children socialization in many ways in that if they are raised up in divorced family or same-sex marriage they feel deprived of that part of socialization. However, there is no much research on same-sex marriages as compared to divorce. Though some research show slighter higher teen pregnancy rates lower test scores, higher divorce rates to children of same-sex marriages. They also have a higher chance of experiencing lesbian encounter or homosexual. The gay research is still new and has no much information to offer. According to the society, marriage is a union of love and its purpose is to regenerate population and provide informal education to the children. Same-sex marriage is only based on the perspective of love and does not serve the regeneration and children socialization purpose. It does not portray the function perspective of marriage as an institution in the society. Same-sex marriages shouldn’t be a civil right issue. It should be a question of how the society intends to define the family structure considering both perspectives. The media treats same-sex marriages in different perspectives; as a social unity that should be maintained according to the traditions and a way of allowing liberty as a right to individuals. It has given more attention to the second social perspective than the first one. Less information on maintaining the tradition marriage is given by media. According to New South West Council for Civil Liberties (2007), Australian government is against the idea of same-sex marriages and has done this by implementing the laws stipulated in Marriage Act 1961. It only recognizes marriage as the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life. It goes further to emphasize that any union solemnized in a foreign country between same genders will not be recognized as a marriage in Australia. It should not even be compromised in the society and it should be banned by an amendment of the constitution. Marriage is a social institution and should be headed by mother and father and that is how it should always be. A bill introduced by the Greens to give equal marriage rights to gay citizens was rejected by the Australian Senate. Almost twenty-six senators were absent from voting the bill and some chose to stay away because they don’t agree with other parties supporting same sex-marriage. Senator Steve Fielding emphasized same-sex marriages as incest and that a man cannot marry his own brother and neither can a woman marry her own sister because it is not right (Schubert 2009). Despite many trying to support same sex marriages against the large percentage of the people who want it banned, other media have tried to fight the same. According to Susan Marie (2009), National Organization for Marriage (NOM) an opponent of same-sex marriages insists that marriage according to the society values should be between opposite sex. On the other hand the media has been having pro-gay bias leaning on one side of social perspective in respecting human rights when it comes to marriage. It portrays that same-sex marriages could not be denied and thus keeping the gay marriage in the spotlight of media for many months. There has been a media critic from national and international newspapers with all striving to reach a consensus. According to Australian news press Institute of Public Affairs same sex marriage and adoption should be legalized because people who are adults and own their own bodies. The media support gay marriage by feeling sympathy for them even though many Americans don’t support the social issue. The media shows this reporting about the gay experiences and allowing them to give their views. It supports the human rights of the media and keeps on asking if the gay people are going to vote in a certain politician who is against same sex marriages. The gay reports are excellent and the people should embrace the social change that is taking place. This can be portrayed in the online news newmatilda.com (2009) by Lindsay Foyle. It is argued that t the media perceive stories that have never been conceived or written, and thus running the media into trouble. Media is for the same sex marriages as evidenced by only half of the people in the society think same-sex marriages should be allowed, more than 80 percept of media do. Journalists aren’t able to see the issue from other perspectives. However there is a critic on the lack of coverage of same-sex marriages opponents. No one has to agree with them for them to feel that their views have been reflected. The media see nothing wrong will covering the stories of same-sex marriages. This is because the media covers stories that are not prominent. It speaks for those who don’t have a voice. Journalists seek and cover the stories of those who are not understood or known. Just like a minority group, if a particular group faces a debate of over extending rights, then the historical discrimination crops in. The media think that just like most minority groups, lesbians and gay are not leaving their full lives. The media thus tries to make people aware of issues faced by gays and lesbians when their marriage rights are excluded. The public doesn’t need much exploration to know and understand the views that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. The media doesn’t portray much of anti-same-sex marriage as those who argue against it have less impact on the stories to be written. The media has tried examining the gay marriage opposition but relating the issues in an individual’s life with a feature of another individual’s opinion becomes unbalanced. Most media coverage fail to understand why divorce, drug abuse, partner abuse and other issues that cause same-sex couple fail to be given marriage rights and yet the same issues happen in the same sex marriages. Dr. Jill Joseph of the Children’s National Medical Center in a Congress presented an overview of scientific studies that were close to 50. The study regarded the welfare of children from same-sex families. He said the studies don’t show any difference between children raised in gay families and children raised in straight families. But this report was omitted from the media to mean the media is bias on what it chooses to cover on certain issues (Foyle 2009). The media fails to tell interesting and convincing stories that are against same-sex marriages. Examples of these stories are for those who finally come out of that lifestyle and go for straight lives. However scientific groups like American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association have denounced movements against gay which attempt to change the sexual orientation of people as this may be harmful. It is not advisable for the media to include such efforts in the coverage of news about gay marriages as this would be a very damaging idea. The media coverage on gay marriages is centered on legal issues like court decisions and constitutional amendments and termed as same-sex marriage as culture war but it failed to evaluation the dilemma or unanswered questions of both sides that concert legal rights. The media depended on the Greens parties and other political parties in Australia to come up with gay marriages debates. In USA John Kerry together with other Democrats opposed the amendments that argument that same-sex marriage was a state rights issue rather than civil rights issue. The media then proceeded to get a response from a Republican which resulted in accusation and warnings of anyone who overrides the laws of the state. The media has however not covered the argument of Federal Marriage Amendment that is necessary to save guard gay-marriages against the anti-gay systems. Many media houses argue that same-sex marriages should be a widely accepted decision and not a question of rights. It is a question of cultural where everybody should participate. The media doesn’t feel that it is right for opinion polls to allow discrimination against a minority group. Robert Sedler a civil rights law experts already set the standard that no government shall subject a certain group to unequal treatment including same-sex couples. The Nation newspaper raided opinions against the amendment but also raised questions about marriage as an institution and how just it will be to tie federal and state benefits to marital status. However it is argued that linking benefits of healthcare to marital status can cause individual’s to ignore their societal responsibility. In a Shari Mortro’s argument, there should be no special privileges given to married couples whether straight or gay. Marriage benefits are an alternative for supporting any family that has children. There are unmarried parents who don’t receive such help. The media has continuously been known to support the gay marriage thus being bias. The readers of Reader’s Representative Journal feel that the media is covering too much of the same-sex marriage. Liberal bias has been shown through exaggeration of coverage as seen in the number of stories and the photos. The treating of the issue by the media itself is depriving the society its values. The fact that gay marriage is legal it doesn’t mean that people want to see men kissing men or women kissing women. One newspaper printed almost four pages of gay marriage weddings instead of giving it one page putting in mind that other important issues need to be covered too. The report included all the reaction from political groups as they geared for the constitution in order to define man and a woman as being marriage. But this was not the case as the stories concentrated on the gay couples holding and kissing their babies and so on (Foyle 2009). The issues of same-sex marriage have currently been debated upon, the society torn between allowing free sexual orientation practice like the rights of gay marriages or maintain the tradition straight marriage as the institution of the society as the social perspectives. The media has covered the gay-marriage issue with biasness by leaning much on one social perspective of caring for the society by allowing free practice of the same. Too much coverage of the issues experienced by gays and lesbians shows the support the media has towards fighting for gay marriage rights despite a large percent of the society being against it. Reference List Lindsay Foyle. 2009. Small 'L' Liberal Is Not Left Wing. Newmatilda.com. (Online). Available: http://newmatilda.com/2009/08/24/small-l-liberal-not-left. (24 March 2010) New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties. 2007. Australian Parliament bans same-sex marriage. (Online). Available: http://www.nswccl.org.au/issues/glbt.php. (24 March 2010) Susan Marie. 2009. NOM launches New Jersey anti-gay marriage radio ad. Now Public Crowd Media. Available: http://www.nowpublic.com/world/nom-launches-new-jersey-anti-gay-marriage-radio-ad. (27 Feb 2010) Misha Schubert. 2009. Fielding likens same-sex marriage to incest. Theage.com. (Online). Available: http://www.theage.com.au/national/fielding-likens-samesex-marriage-to-incest-20091126-juo3.html. (24 March 2010) Read More

It should not even be compromised in the society and it should be banned by an amendment of the constitution. Marriage is a social institution and should be headed by mother and father and that is how it should always be. A bill introduced by the Greens to give equal marriage rights to gay citizens was rejected by the Australian Senate. Almost twenty-six senators were absent from voting the bill and some chose to stay away because they don’t agree with other parties supporting same sex-marriage.

Senator Steve Fielding emphasized same-sex marriages as incest and that a man cannot marry his own brother and neither can a woman marry her own sister because it is not right (Schubert 2009). Despite many trying to support same sex marriages against the large percentage of the people who want it banned, other media have tried to fight the same. According to Susan Marie (2009), National Organization for Marriage (NOM) an opponent of same-sex marriages insists that marriage according to the society values should be between opposite sex.

On the other hand the media has been having pro-gay bias leaning on one side of social perspective in respecting human rights when it comes to marriage. It portrays that same-sex marriages could not be denied and thus keeping the gay marriage in the spotlight of media for many months. There has been a media critic from national and international newspapers with all striving to reach a consensus. According to Australian news press Institute of Public Affairs same sex marriage and adoption should be legalized because people who are adults and own their own bodies.

The media support gay marriage by feeling sympathy for them even though many Americans don’t support the social issue. The media shows this reporting about the gay experiences and allowing them to give their views. It supports the human rights of the media and keeps on asking if the gay people are going to vote in a certain politician who is against same sex marriages. The gay reports are excellent and the people should embrace the social change that is taking place. This can be portrayed in the online news newmatilda.com (2009) by Lindsay Foyle.

It is argued that t the media perceive stories that have never been conceived or written, and thus running the media into trouble. Media is for the same sex marriages as evidenced by only half of the people in the society think same-sex marriages should be allowed, more than 80 percept of media do. Journalists aren’t able to see the issue from other perspectives. However there is a critic on the lack of coverage of same-sex marriages opponents. No one has to agree with them for them to feel that their views have been reflected.

The media see nothing wrong will covering the stories of same-sex marriages. This is because the media covers stories that are not prominent. It speaks for those who don’t have a voice. Journalists seek and cover the stories of those who are not understood or known. Just like a minority group, if a particular group faces a debate of over extending rights, then the historical discrimination crops in. The media think that just like most minority groups, lesbians and gay are not leaving their full lives.

The media thus tries to make people aware of issues faced by gays and lesbians when their marriage rights are excluded. The public doesn’t need much exploration to know and understand the views that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. The media doesn’t portray much of anti-same-sex marriage as those who argue against it have less impact on the stories to be written. The media has tried examining the gay marriage opposition but relating the issues in an individual’s life with a feature of another individual’s opinion becomes unbalanced.

Most media coverage fail to understand why divorce, drug abuse, partner abuse and other issues that cause same-sex couple fail to be given marriage rights and yet the same issues happen in the same sex marriages. Dr. Jill Joseph of the Children’s National Medical Center in a Congress presented an overview of scientific studies that were close to 50.

Read More