2008 Woodie Awards
What Should be Done about Same-Sex Marriage?
Point: Equal rights for everyone
Dino Mujakovic
Issue date: 3/4/04 Section: Opinions
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Through the past months, the same-sex marriage issue has been getting more and more attention. Gay people all over the nation have been protesting and fighting for their rights, equal rights. But what is the big deal? Many people consider marriage to be only between a man and a woman and even go back to the religious issue of it being a union under God. Yet those people don't appear to realize that marriage is only a contract between two people. All the other religious ideas were added with each separate religion.
For many gay people, it's not such a problem that they can't get married; they don't need that to prove their love. But it's the fact that without being considered married, they are losing out on 1046 rights that come along with marriage. Some of these rights include hospital visits, insurance for the partner, choice in deciding on medical decisions and many more.
Today, we live in the 21st century. I would expect the American nation to be more tolerant and that such issues wouldn't be a big deal considering we live in the "land of freedom". But yet, we face daily a large number of ignorant people and discrimination towards the gay community. Through the media, we read and see people raising their voices and saying that god doesn't approve of same-sex marriage, but on the other side it is also said that God loves everybody and that everybody is equal. In that case, God wouldn't disagree with same-sex marriage. In this case, the people are disagreeing with their own statements.
Nowadays, LBGT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people are everywhere. They are in our circle of friends, families and even in the media. Just look at the shows like "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and "Queer as Folk;" both shows have high ratings. Even in the music and film scene there are more and more gay people. It is time for people to wake up and realize that there is nothing wrong with same-sex marriages.
Even though the Bush administration is trying to push a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a "union between a man and a woman" it still won't stop the gay community; it will simply cause more protest and fights for equality.
The states of Hawaii and Vermont, for example, have made the right choice to allow same-sex couple a civil union, which gives them similar rights to those that heterosexual couples have. The Supreme Court of Massachusetts overturned the ban on same-sex marriages because forbidding it is unconstitutional. Since February 12th, more than 3,200 marriage licenses have been issued to gay people in San Francisco, California and New Paltz, New York. If they can do it, why can't every other state do it to?
We all live in the same world and we are all equal, and that's why I don't understand why same-sex couples should not be able to marry. Don't let history repeat itself by excluding a minority; it has been proven before what can happen.
For many gay people, it's not such a problem that they can't get married; they don't need that to prove their love. But it's the fact that without being considered married, they are losing out on 1046 rights that come along with marriage. Some of these rights include hospital visits, insurance for the partner, choice in deciding on medical decisions and many more.
Today, we live in the 21st century. I would expect the American nation to be more tolerant and that such issues wouldn't be a big deal considering we live in the "land of freedom". But yet, we face daily a large number of ignorant people and discrimination towards the gay community. Through the media, we read and see people raising their voices and saying that god doesn't approve of same-sex marriage, but on the other side it is also said that God loves everybody and that everybody is equal. In that case, God wouldn't disagree with same-sex marriage. In this case, the people are disagreeing with their own statements.
Nowadays, LBGT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people are everywhere. They are in our circle of friends, families and even in the media. Just look at the shows like "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and "Queer as Folk;" both shows have high ratings. Even in the music and film scene there are more and more gay people. It is time for people to wake up and realize that there is nothing wrong with same-sex marriages.
Even though the Bush administration is trying to push a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a "union between a man and a woman" it still won't stop the gay community; it will simply cause more protest and fights for equality.
The states of Hawaii and Vermont, for example, have made the right choice to allow same-sex couple a civil union, which gives them similar rights to those that heterosexual couples have. The Supreme Court of Massachusetts overturned the ban on same-sex marriages because forbidding it is unconstitutional. Since February 12th, more than 3,200 marriage licenses have been issued to gay people in San Francisco, California and New Paltz, New York. If they can do it, why can't every other state do it to?
We all live in the same world and we are all equal, and that's why I don't understand why same-sex couples should not be able to marry. Don't let history repeat itself by excluding a minority; it has been proven before what can happen.