Arguments and Motives

The Arguments and Motives against same-sex marriage are vast and variate as Scott Bidstrup
explains. The most common in his summary are as follows:


- marriage is between a man and a woman
who has the right to define this ? shouldnt the basis of ones happiness and wanton love be the focal point for a marriage ?

- marriage is traditionally a heterosexual institution.
so was slavery until it was abolished in the 19th Century.

- same-sex couples are not capable of raising kids.
As expected, opponents of gay marriage fear that the allowance of same-sex couples to marry will lessen the validity of a heterosexual marriage. They say marriage is union with the purpose of procreation and argue that children fare better in a household headed with a man and a woman than a homosexual household. First of all, there is no basis in fact to support this. Children do well in any sort of household so long as they are nutured and loved. Gender is irrelevant. Secondly, many heterosexual couples choose not to have children. or unable to yet their marriages are still valid.

The list and examples continue but are far too many to mention, along with CBS News/NYT poll.

In Conclusion, Equality Matters

Essentially, the above evidence leads to one primary reason - Equality.

Should marriage really be defined as a relationship solely between a man and woman ? There have been no concrete facts as to why same-sex marriage shouldnt be legalised. Those opposing such an act are basing their assumptions on opinion and stereo-types.


Yes, there are Civil Unions, but they are not adequate. In the U.S, plaintiffs back up their case of fighting for gay marriage by referring to the Plessy vs Ferguson case of 1896, which justified racial segregation under a deplorable standard of "Seperate but Equal". One could argue that this is a prime analogy for gay couples to use as a form for both gender segregation and sex discrimination. Not only this, but a civil union is neither universally recognised nor understood, clearly holding an inferior status to that of a marriage. To say that a Civil Union is equal to a marriage would be a lie.

APA Referencing

Head, T. (n.d). Civil Unions. Retrieved April 20, 2010, from: http://civilliberty.about.com/od/gendersexuality/g/civil_unions.htm

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2008) Same-Sex Marriage. Retrieved April 27, 2010, from: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/same-sex+marriage

NZPA, NEWSTALK ZB (2005, April 26). First couples sign up for Civil Unions. Retrieved April 20, 2010, from: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10122375

YouTube (2006, December 04) Civil Unions don't work [Video File]. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46jccPGRmIg

Belge, K. (n.d) Lesbian and Gay Marriage: both sides of the issue. Retrieved April 21, 2010 from: http://lesbianlife.about.com/cs/wedding/a/marriage.htm

Bidstrup, S. (n.d) Gay Marriage: the Arguments and the Motives. Retrieved April 21, 2010 from: http://www.bidstrup.com/marriage.htm

 

Wikipaedia (n.d) 1138 Reasons Equality Matters. Retrieved April 20, 2010 from: http://www.equalitymatters.org/equality_matters/static/full_reasons

CBS News (2003, December 21). Opposition to Gay Marriage Grows (poll). Retrieved April 20, 2010 from:  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/19/opinion/polls/main589551.shtml

New York Times (2007, June 07). The Inadequacy of Civil Unions. Retrieved April 20, 2010 from: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/07/opinion/7thu3.html