Gay Marriage Support - Research Paper Example

? Family is considered as the smallest and the most important unit of society. This is where everything about a person starts and where he learns to be who he is founded upon how one’s parents are able to raise him. There are many threats to the subsistence and the morals of a family. Recent sentiments had been plenty that distinguishes the American family of today from yesteryears. There are many distractions that take away from moments that should be spent with family and there are many that depart from the integration of a family into forming close family ties. Truly, the definition of a modern family has evolved throughout the years. But families have become not only different by the way they interact for they may also be different by the way they are made up. The emergence of families as products of same-sex marriage adds to the category as a matter of requisite. This has become a fact that may no longer be dismissed. To deny these people of their constitutional right to marry on the basis of such arguments that they are a threat to family as we know would be to insist on a failing argument that they as people are incapable of treasuring a social unit they inherently value. Recent progress can be attributed to the stance declared by President Barack Obama as an endorser of gay marriage. He has been quoted to say that it is a personal opinion that he thinks that gay marriage should be upheld. This remark has of course sparked controversy where advocates for the issue applaud him for his candor while the other side of the spectrum equally deplores him and attributes his statement as a political move with his views in stark contrast with that of his closest presidential opponent. “It seems crude to bring up electoral politics in a moment of special resonance for millions of Americans. But Obama’s acillations on gay marriage have always been inextricably tied to his political interests” (Altman, 2012, par.6). Sincere or not, this announcement has fuelled an advocacy that has been long in the process. The support of the highest executive further drives and does not deter from the call to legalize same-sex marriage. Most arguments of opponents of same-sex marriage are anchored on religion as the basis of their position. As it goes in the Catholic religion and as often said in every marriage ceremony, ‘What God has put together, let no man put asunder.’ This speaks of the notion of the inviolability of marriage as an institution that must not be broken by another. But of course we all know that divorce is even more of a reality than marriages that actually do last a lifetime. If we are to follow the bible in its strictest sense then divorce should not be legalized. But this is where the Establishment Clause of the Constitution sets in and where the separation of church and state bears its most significant aspect. It is clear that the church and state must be detached from one another in a way that the church does not interfere with the affairs of government and their aim of instituting sound public policies in the same way that the church is free to look out for the spiritual welfare of their followers without intervention from the state. Justin Wilson (2007) proposes that among the problems that arise out of the dispute stems from the lack of a clear definition of marriage and the intrinsic difference between a religious marriage and a civil marriage. Consequently, it is in the former that religious intervention is a matter of circumstance since it is through the rites provided for by a specific faith that two people are wed. In this case, religious orders have a broader claim to support their argument against same-sex marriage as it is subject to teachings and traditions that would inevitably prohibit them to allow such unions. But the latter would provide for grounds that enables the legalization of same-sex marriage. Civil marriage also gives allocation to be able to recognize the needs that families of same-sex partners and that they must be afforded protection by law for their benefit in such a way that religious ceremonies amounting to a marriage is not necessary toward this end. Wilson maintains that, “if the Establishment Clause really means what it says, same-sex marriage bans impose and endorse one set of religious precepts regarding marriage, resulting in an unconstitutional establishment of religion” (p.566). There must be a clear-cut distinction and lawful justification that defines the marriage in its nature and purpose to avoid any misgivings that renders it to be favorable of religious viewpoint. As Wilson further adds, the denial of same-sex marriage must be for reasons that are reasonably secular and not only those that are veiled under it (2007). We may be presented with arguments that are secular on the outset but upon closer scrutiny would reveal that they are in fact deeply religious sentiments. Civil same-sex marriage would allow for preservationists to continue with their belief, whether or not they are favourable opinion of the same sex, but this would not obstruct the rights of other people to be solemnized under a legal union recognized by the state. This would be nothing more than putting an end to discrimination based on sex and the homophobic belief that couples of the same sex are incapable of preserving a decent and virtuous family. An interesting outcome has emerged that substantiates the capability of gay parents to raise upright citizens as a product of their parenting in the person of Zach Wahls. Wahls, an Iowan college student and a product of lesbian parents, has become an instant sensation with his speech in Youtube before the Iowa House Judiciary Committee has been viewed over 16 million. His 3-minute speech on the effects of having gay parents has sparked a newfound respect on their capability of raising children. As a then 19-year-old young man, he was quick to defend against a proposition that would amend the law that allows gay marriage. In his retort to this change that affects his family, Wahls shares how being raised by two women has not given him any traumatic experience that has damaged his character but has instead enabled him to be the outstanding human being that he has become. As he points out, “not once have I ever been confronted by an individual who realized independently that I was raised by a gay couple…Because the sexual orientation of my parents has had zero effect on the content of my character” (Wahls, 2011). The speech that Zach Wahls delivered, although unable to persuade the law body, provided for an inspiration and a searing example of the absurdity of the fear that parents of the same sex are unqualified to raise children simply because the absence of diversity in their gender prohibits them to provide for their child a stable environment. In contrast, gay parents are actually equipped with more freedom to choose when and how they would be able to start raising a family. It is upon their constructive decision and not merely by accident that they embark on a family life. Compared to children who are products of unwanted pregnancy, same-sex couples have the opportunity to timely determine whether they are already equipped with all the required preparations to take care of another human being dependent upon their support. Family is as important as it had been. The delineation of a family that denies anything that is other than the prototypical father-mother-offspring relationship would be to turn a blind eye on the realities of today. It takes various forms and different structures but it does not take away from the fact that families of a different nature are any less of a nurturing microcosm of individuals sharing an infinite love for one another. The recognition of same-sex marriage does not deviate from recognized morals that make it an institution. It only affirms an existing fact and provides for them the same amount of protection as any other family. This has sadly been overturned persistently due to an unequivocal denial of people’s fundamental rights. Bibliography Altman, A. (2012, May 9). Obama endorses gay marriage: ‘I think same-sex couples should be able to get married’. Time Magazine. Retrieved from http://swampland.time.com/2012/05/09/obama-endorses-gay-marriage-i-think-same-sex-couples-should-be-able-to-get-married/. Skarda, E. (2011, December 2). Iowa teen’s gay-marriage speech leads to social-media celebrity. Time Magazine. Retrieved from http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/12/02/iowa-teens-gay-marriage-speech-leads-to-social-media-celebrity/. Wahls, Z. (2011, February). Zach Wahls speaks about family [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMLZO-sObzQ. Wilson, J. T. (2007). Preservationism, or the elephant in the room: How opponents of same-sex marriage deceive us into establishing religion. Duke Journal of Gender Law and Policy, 14, 561-679. Read More