Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage Essay example -- Civil Rights, Homosexual

The issue of legalizing same-sex marriage is one of great controversy. There are some people who think that gay people have no rights and should never be allowed to marry. Other people believe that gay people are just like anyone else and should enjoy the same rights and privileges as heterosexuals do. People opposing gay marriage argue that a couple of the same sex getting married would redefine the word marriage, the purpose of marrying is to procreate, and they should settle for Civil Unions instead. I feel that all fifty states in the U.S. should allow same-sex marriages. Only in the states of, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, California, along with the District of Columbia are gay couples allowed to marry. There are more states that allow first cousins to marry. Same-sex marriage is very important with gay couples and activists in today's society. One of the main reasons is that the primary purpose of marriage is procreation. â€Å"Because gay couples are unable to have children, they should not be allowed to marry† (Schiffen 495) If this is one of their strongest arguments, then marriage licenses should be denied to all couples who are unable to conceive, meaning: men and women over the age of seventy, infertile women, and sterile men. However this is not the case, which is why that argument is invalid. On January 1, 2002, a bill became effective to give members of registered same-sex and opposite-sex couples the right to adopt a partner's child. According to the American Psychological Associ ation, August 11, 2010 press release â€Å"American Psychological Association Reiterates Support for Same-sex Marriage† Research has shown that marriage provides substantial psychological and phy... ...vernment guarantees equal rights for all citizens. Works Cited Bidstup, Scott. "Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives." 13 Oct. 2000. 1 Nov. 2011 Malone, John. "21st Century Gay" M. Evans and Company, Inc. 2001 Murphy, Jenny. Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? 3 February 2000 http://speakout.com/cgi-bin/udt/im.display.printable?client.id=speakout&story.id=1138b National Campaign for Same-Sex Marriage...Draws Political and Religious Opposition." CQ Researcher. (Vol.#)(1996): 420-423. Say, Elizabeth A. and Kowalewski, Mark R. Gays, Lesbians, and Family Values The Pilgrim Press. 1998 "Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry?" Http://www.apa.org. 11 Aug. 2010. American Psychological Association. 29 Oct. 2011 .