Should Same Sex Marriage Be Allowed?

Should Gay Marriages Be Legal?

Just imagine being in love with a person and not being allowed to marry. Most of your neighbors, family, friends, and coworkers are allowed to marry, but your sexual preference keeps you from attaining a certificate that almost any heterosexual can get. Instead of marriage, you could have a ceremony, a reception, and a honeymoon. Unfortunately, these things lose some of their meaning when society or the government does not take them seriously. Homosexuals do not get the same rights as heterosexuals and are put at a disadvantage when compared to heterosexuals.

Many problems occur due to homosexuals being incapable of acquiring marriage certificates. Homosexual couples do not get rights that are common to married heterosexuals. If a homosexual's partner was admitted into an emergency room, that person would not be granted visiting rights because the partnership is not acknowledged as 'family.' Heterosexuals are free to visit their spouses. If one partner is declared legally incompetent, the other partner can not make legal decisions on the behalf of the other. In addition, pensions are difficult for a person to collect after the death of the partner, whereas a widow would easily be able to collect the pension of her deceased husband because of community property laws. Medical coverage will not always cover a homosexual's partner either. Only a few medical plans will cover the partner of a homosexual, but most plans cover only spouses. Some laws allow only family members to funeral arranging rights. After dealing with a death, it would be even worse to not be able to be in control of a memorial service. Heterosexuals do not face these problems. Homosexuals should not have to either. When homosexuals choose to marry and are denied they are not just being denied marriage but also many rights and thus are neglected their state of nature according to John Locke. Their equality to other married couples is taken away and they are consequently not as free as heterosexuals.

Not allowing homosexuals to marry is also viewed by me as an act of prejudice. Interracial marriage was illegal in many states thirty years ago. Today most people look back on that fact with horror and shame. Racial differences have as little to do with marriage as sexual differences do. Thirty years from now we may be looking back at ourselves in dismay. What