Gay Marriages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gay Marriages - Essay Example Due to the other states understanding the importance of America as an equal nation, those in support of gay marriage believe that gay marriage will soon be celebrated nationwide. There are many arguments pertaining to whether or not gay marriage should be legalized. For those that are against gay marriage, many of them take religious or personal stances. They point out verses in the Bible or other religious texts about gay marriage being a sin, they state that homosexuality is morally wrong, or else claim that since children cannot be made without a male and a female, homosexuality is not proper. While these alleged proofs or beliefs may condone the personal beliefs of people against gay marriage, those that are for gay marriage use different evidence supporting their own claims as to why gay marriage should be legalized. They do so by taking a legal point of view of the argument. The people in favor of gay marriage may respect the beliefs and opinions of those that are against gay m arriage, and some may even understand where those in opposition are coming from. However, those that are for gay marriage point out that there is a separation of church and state, which makes all religious arguments invalid in regard to legal matters (Snyder, 2006). The separation of church and state makes it clear that laws are not to be created or rejected based on religious principles. This is due in part to many people not believing in or agreeing with the concepts that religions speak of. In that mindset, supporters of gay marriage feel the need to point out all of the legal aspects of gay couples being denied marriage, stating that they are being denied their legal rights when they are denied the opportunity to marry. Using the United States Constitution, more specifically the Fourteenth Amendment, gay couples and those who approve of equality for homosexuals are able to argue that they are being denied rights as American citizens when their pleas of marriage are turned down. The Fourteenth Amendment often comes into play in these arguments as the amendment states that all United States citizens will be treated equally regardless of gender, nationality, race, religion, and other factors. People in favor of gay marriage believe that this amendment also applies to sexual orientation (Gerstmann, 2007). Even though the amendment may not state it directly, the amendment exists to make sure that every citizen of the United States is treated the same way despite the characteristics that may set them apart from others. By implementing this amendment in legal arguments to legalize gay marriage, many who are for gay marriages have seen positive results, which is encouraging others to rely on their rights as citizens to demand to be treated with equality. As such, those that argue for gay marriage have more valid arguments than those that argue against gay marriage. People in favor of gay marriage have turned the argument from a religious, moralistic one to an argu ment where the legal rights of citizens are in jeopardy. The concept of legalized gay marriages is becoming more of a reality due to the fact that people are making it happen by making use of their rights as citizens. As previously mentioned, there are quite a few states that have approved of gay marriages simply because they acknowledge that by denying gay marriages, they are denying people their rights.