Gay Love

Love is something that is very popular in today's world. Everyone should be able to love and be loved, to be joined in marriage. But, some people don't get those rights simply because they're gay. Congress combines church and state to make marriage illegal. But, people have different religions, different beliefs, and different views on everything. Banning gay marriage violates a person's constitutional freedom.

The constitute states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Church and state are being combined to rule out marriage for gays. Same sex marriage is illegal in all fifty states, and the U.S. Congress has passed a "Defense of Marriage Act" to block recognition of any future same sex marriages. The also have restricted rights to adoption and child raising.(Smith, Haider 14) But yet there is probably a population, small if any, of gays in every state. In 1977 Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to a public office in California. Milk's career was cut short in 1978 when he was assassinated in City Hall on November 27, 1978.(Smith, Haider 129) People were so against Milk being openly gay they stuck back. President Bush indicated he opposes extending legal rights to homosexuals, saying he "believes marriage is between a man and a woman, and I think we ought to codify that one way or another."("Reserved for Heterosexuals") So he chooses to discriminate a group of people simply because they don't have the same beliefs as him. And in a later story, Bush states," I think it's very important for our society to respect each individual, to welcome those with good hearts, to be a welcoming country. On the other hand, that does not mean that somebody like me needs to compromise on an issue such as marriage."("Reserved for Heterosexuals") Bush will welcome you with understanding, open arms, as long as you're not gay. Yet the Constitute reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Court ruled marriage is a fundamental human right.( Allison "Church and State") And a fundamental human right means that everyone should be allowed to have it, no one should be left out.

It has often been noted that in the Western tradition homosexuality was first called the sin of sodomy... next considered the disease of psychological inversion, but now has become like an ethnicity.(Smith, Haider Preface 15)

Prior to the civil war, Africans were not allowed to marry in some

states. And then again, prior to 1948, interracial couples were not

allowed to marry in California and other states. Nineteen years later,

the U.S. supreme court...ruled that mixed raced marriages were legal

anywhere in America(Allison "Church and State").

It took nineteen years just to allow people of two different races to marry, not even considering if they were homosexual. "This court has long recognized that freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage and family life is one of the liberties protected by the Due Process of the Fourteenth Amendment.(Allison "Church and State")" But still, gays are stripped of that right, because they don't have the same sexual preference. A poll showed that the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage back lashed causing people who agreed with homosexual relations being legal to fall from 60% to 48%. And only 40% support civil union.("Reserved for Heterosexuals") In addition to being outnumbered, gay people are despised... no other group of Americans is the object of such sustained, extreme, intense distaste... such hostility does not face any other group in electorate.(Smith, Haider 12) As of now, only Vermont allows civil union(Allison "Church and State"). But still, the federal government's 1996 Defense of Marriage Act affirms that states are not required to recognize a same-sex marriage performed in another state("Reserved for Heterosexuals").

A group of same sex couples sued the state of Vermont for the right to marry,

arguing that not allowing same sex couples to marry constituted unlawful gender discrimination. In December 1999 the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that the

state could not deny same sex couples the protections, benefits, and

responsibilities of their heterosexuals counterparts. The court instructed the

legislature to allow for same sex marriages or create a similar system that would

have the same benefits and responsibilities for the involved parties. During the 2000 legislative session, the Vermont legislature created civil unions, which provide same sex couples with legal standing akin to marriage.(Smith, Haider 137)

In other countries only Belgium and Netherlands have legal marriage in which they are also allowed to adopt a child.( Allison "Church and State")

Although the country views gay marriage to be unreasonable, there are other types of marriages that are obscure from the one male, one female in love relationship. The polygynous marriages, which were in the bible, were where a

man married multiple women and they all lived together. The Jesus

Christ of Latter Day Saints still believe in polygynous marriages.

Another type of marriage is levirate where a woman who was widowed

with having a child would be required to leave her home, marry her

brother-in-law, live with him, and have sexual relationships. The

woman was considered "fortunate" if she happened to like the man.

Another forced relationship in the bible is a male who raped a female

virgin that is not engaged to be married must marry her attacker

(Allison "Church and State").

It is legal to openly discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in employment, housing, credit, consumer service, and public accommodation in most jurisdictions. (Smith, Haider 14)

Everyone views marriage differently. Many people have different religions.