OK, we had to write a paper last year on a "controversial issue," and I chose gay marriage. It definitely could use a few touch-ups, but this is what my final product was. I'm not kidding when I say this assignment changed my life. It made me question everything and scared the crap out of me, but I loved doing it all the same :)

Do you think gays and lesbians should be able to marry? This topic has caused a lot of controversy in the U.S. Some people think it should be legal, while others think it shouldn’t. Right now, some states have legalized marriage or marriage-like arrangements for gays and lesbians, but most states don’t. If you ask me, gay marriage should be legal.
I say this because gay and lesbian people are not that different than anyone else and should have the same rights as heterosexuals (straight people). Right now, 7 states and D.C. permit civil unions or domestic partnerships. A civil union is a union that is similar to marriage and that has many similar benefits. A domestic partnership is a relationship between people who live together and share one life together, but aren’t joined in marriage or a civil union. Maine doesn’t permit full marriage but does permit domestic partnerships. 43 states however, have a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships. Denying gays and lesbians marriage can be considered a form of discrimination.
Also, in the first 2 years after Massachusetts allowed gay marriage, their divorce rate steadily dropped, and it now has the lowest divorce rate in the country. This shows that gay marriages are more likely to last than heterosexual marriages. That shows that gay marriage is a good thing to have. However, when asked, only 35% of people favored gay marriage, while 54% supported civil unions or domestic partnerships.
Some people, however, do not want gay marriage at all. Some people think homosexual relationships are “ abnormal and unnatural.” Many people firmly believe that being gay is abhorrent ( disgusting or loathsome ). Almost all religions in the world think homosexuality is a “sin.” Some also think that not using specific functions is “an insult to the creator.” I think these religious arguments are complete garbage because gay and lesbian couples are no different than heterosexual couples and their religion shouldn’t tell them how to live their life.
Gay marriage is currently available in 5 countries: the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Spain, and South Africa. The Netherlands were the first country in the world to allow gay marriage. Some countries, however, have a very different view on simply BEING gay. Many countries in Africa and the Middle East have penalties for being gay. 6 of those countries have the death penalty for being gay, which, in my opinion, is wrong. They are JUST PEOPLE and should be treated the same as everyone else.
The U.S. is very different when it comes to gay marriage. As I said earlier, Massachusetts is the only state that allows full marriage, and 7 plus D.C. allow civil unions and/or domestic partnerships. It wasn’t until 1997 that states began granting legal rights to registered gay couples. President Bush tried to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman in 2004. This seems unfair because the government shouldn’t control who can get married and who can’t. Joe Messerli said in an editorial that a compromise would be to have a constitutional amendment that says marriage is a union between two people, instead of a man and a woman. This definitely makes more sense than the “one man and one woman” amendment that Bush proposed.
There are many reasons why I think gay marriage should be legal. My main reason is that gays and lesbians are no different from anybody else except for the fact they are attracted to people of the same sex. It’s still love, isn’t it? Being gay doesn’t hurt anyone and they choose if they want to spend their life with someone of the same sex, just like heterosexual couples with the opposite sex. People shouldn’t care if a person is gay because it’s really not their business, prying into another person’s personal life. This is why it seems unfair to ban gay marriage in the U.S. But, gays and lesbians have it better in the U.S. than in the countries where it’s illegal to be gay because we don’t kill people who are gay, like they do in some of those countries.
Gay marriage is definitely something the U.S. should legalize. It lowers the divorce rate in the states, as you can see from Massachusetts. It is perfectly fine and gay couples are just as happy as straight couples. They are just people who deserve the same rights as everyone else. If this doesn’t convince people that gay marriage is perfectly fine, than I can’t do anything more to try. The final argument I’m going to leave you with is that the number 1 reason why heterosexuals marry each other is because they love each other, and gay and lesbian couples should be able to do that if they want.
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Comments?

Interesting. I agree though.
The great difference between the US and Sweden in this issue is that it's "ok" for example religious people in the US to say that gay is wrong, wheras it's illegal in Sweden. That's discrimination or " exite against community" (or something like that...). It doesn't matter if you're of another religous belive. Everyone is worth exacly the same!

Yeah, we've got the whole "freedom of speech" thing here. I do think, though, that if I can speak my opinion about something like this, then the opposing side should be able to too. It wouldn't be fair otherwise.

We have that as well unless it's hurtful or well I don't know what to say.....
Like Is it legal for an american citicen to stand at the barricades and say that black people are less than human? (or something like that)
I mean that is illegal here even though it's legal to say the opposite (well not the opposite but) like all humans are equal.

Freedom to protest, you're saying?

Well freedom of speach and freedom of print. But that freedom is given with the responsability that one in no official context harass other groups of people. That is for example saying that some people aren't as much worth as others.
That's like a ground stone in our society: everyone is equal.
Of course there are stupid people saying that for example that being gay is unnatural and sinful, but they will be looked upon as crazy (even though others may think the same) since it violates the equal part. If you change gay to bigami - then it's ok, because that is illegal. But still, we don't have death penalty since it's always wrong to kill. (it's understandable sometimes but always wrong).
I don't know what I'm trying to say here :) Just that I feel it's wrong that people are actually alloud to behave like that crazy "preacher" that Cait told us about a while ago.......

I know, right? People shouldn't be allowed to act like he does. I mean, people aren't allowed to protest against people based on skin color or disability or that stuff! So, why can people protest others' sexual orientation? It pisses me off!

There you go. :) That's the difference :)

The difference between…???

Sorry, I'm a little lost…

No I'm sorry :)
Between the wiew on minorities in Swe and US.

I liked it, Maggie. :) You did a very good job.

"I mean, people aren't allowed to protest against people based on skin color or disability or that stuff!"

Oh, but you can, and people do.

We have the freedom of speech to the point you can say anything you want to say as long as you don't incite a dangerous mob. Anything.

What irritates me is that hate speech is allowed (such as Fred Phelps, that preacher) and the KKK is still allowed to rally (and they do; in SC our sociology teacher took us to see a rally for ourselves and it was the most frightening thing I've ever witnessed). I understand a differing opinion and that both sides "deserve" to be heard. It comes down to what is an opinion and what is just hateful slander and it's hard to seperate those two legally in order to press charges of any kind (which is why Fred Phelps is still kicking).

Maggie, I truly believe that gay marriage issues are the PERFECT example of WHY the Church and State should be completely seperate. The Bible says "one man, one woman", and the ridiculous people have run with that. I also believe that for the most part, our generation is pro-gay. I think that "we" (Americans) are portrayed as these awful gay-bashing people when really the majority of us aren't. The ones you're hearing are right wing old men and a lot of loud ignorant asses who have never even met a gay person or are so overly religious that they can't see anything past the end of their own nose.

I say, do gay couples pay taxes? Then give them their marriage. The end.

I see :) We're getting better, I've noticed. If you look at what the California Supreme Court did, it shows at least some people have their heads on right.

Oh, it's definitely different than say when our parents were growing up. (I think your parents are about my parents age, believe it or not, my mom is 38 this year.)

A lot of people are being "swayed" and are starting to not be so threatened by gays. (Which never made any sense to me in the first place, but whatever.) I'm positive within the next 5 years gay couples will have the same rights as straight couples in every state. Call me an optimist, but once Cali does something the rest of the states follow suit.

Wow! Your mom is only seven years older than me...... one year older than my brother and 4 years younger than my big sister..... I could be like your aunt :)
Li'l Cait :)

It's probably pretty damn different now compared to then.

I'm being an optimist too when I'm thinking people WILL come around, that there's no "if" here. If people realize that there is NOTHING WRONG, they'll come around. That's what I'm trying to do with Amanda. Before I tell her, I want her to see that there is NOTHING WRONG with any of this!

Edit: I think my parents are OLDER than yours :o

LOL, Mactilda! You could be!


And you tell her, Maggie. People are ridiculous.

The thing is, she's my friend. We're polar opposites, but she's fun to hang out with. I don't want to create any unnecessary tension between us.

Jesus. It's kind of scaring me that my mom is 48.

0.0

Wowwwwwwww. My parents are young, though, so! :P They started early...

Hoorah! Thats my rotc tounge saying that this happens to be awesome, Mags!!! :wub: B) :wub: B)

on of the things I really can't understand about the whole banning Gay marriage thing is that why it should be called "banning." I consider it basically withholding a freedom that we were born with.

I hate the fact that they say we have freedom of religion, and they say that the church and state are seperate, but they really aren't. "In God We Trust.""One nation under God." I'm not saying it's wrong to believe in God or have a religion, but if alot of politicians are religious and don't believe in Gay marriage, what's to stop them from voting not to allow it? What's to stop them from using their religion to determine laws? They won't think the law is right because their religion tells them it is wrong, and they choose to believe it. I wouldn't want to believe in a God that doesn't accept everybody the way they are.

Why should a partnership between a man and a woman be called a "marriage" and a partnership between a man and a man or a woman to a woman be called "domestic partnership" or "civil union"? Didn't they ban interracial couples from marriage due to their closemindedness and rascism? Aren't they banning samesex couples marriage due to their closemindedness and homophobia?

Aren't I using a lot of question marks? :D Ok, that was my gay/lesbian rights rant of the day.

Here here! Go Jen!

Here fucking here! ALL TRUE. Our country, while not as bad as some others, is pretty closeminded. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH US GAY FOLK, EH? WHAT DO THEY HAVE AGAINST US? Ooooh, this is one of those times where I hate people… if all those closeminded people knew that this isn't a CHOICE, that it's hell on EARTH to figure out, not to MENTION telling people! GAH!

BTW, thanks Jen! :D

Did you know in India it's illegal to be gay? Odd.

It is in Iran and other countries too *steams* It pisses me off.

Oh any Muslim ruled country it will be illegal. It doesn't bare to think about the parts of the country who go by Sharia law, either.

Gay people are KILLED there. Now, THOSE people are people I truly want to die themselves.