samesex marriages essays

samesex marriages essays Should Homosexuals Have the Right To Be Legally Married? The question of whether or not homosexuals should have the right to be legally married is as absurd as asking whether or not heterosexuals should have this legal right. People are People. Love is love. Two people who are in love should be able to marry each other. Not allowing homosexuals to marry goes against the constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process. It is denying these people basic civil rights which have already been granted to racial and ethnic minorities. In 1967, Loving Vs. Virginia ruled that laws prohibiting interracial marriages were unconstitutional and discriminatory (West Vol 5, 139). Though not racially discriminatory, laws prohibiting same-sex marriages are sexual discrimination. This is especially true when scientfic evidence suggests that most people are born with their sexual orientation predetermined (Simpson). Many same-sex couples consider themselves to be married in all intents and purposes anyway. The only thing lacking is the legal recognition by the government. This, however, is an important thing to be lacking because it results in the loss of health care benefits, inheritances, property rights, and tax benefits (West Vol 6, 94). Thus, these couples are being denied the equal protection of laws. The state of Vermont has already recently recognized this by now allowing same-sex partners to be joined in a civil-union, which offers almost the same benefits of a marriage (Sneyd). This is a monumental step towards equality. Other states should be following Vermonts example and stopping the unconstitutional discrimination these laws impose, especially when studies show that at least 53% of the population believes gay partners should have some of the leglal rights of married couples (Simpson). This problem has raised issues concerning the definition of words like family and &apo...