Running head: SAME SEX MARRIAGE

Same Sex Marriage

Author
Institution

SAME SEX MARRIAGE

Introduction
Marriage has since the time in memorial been a union between people of
different genders but not until the late nineties when the first marriage between
people of the same sex happened (Kramer, 1997). The religion and the culture have had it as
a norm that only people of a different sex can get into abiding union. This has however denied
the people who have affection towards their similar genders. Huawei became the first nation to
legalize marriage between the same sex couple. According to an article by Martha Nussbaum in
Dissent (Martha, 2009), it states that Marriage should be both worldwide or central
meaning that it should not be a discriminating factor. There are different views and
opinions that are for and against same-gender marriages. Different nations lately
allow the gays to have their rights.
Same-sex marriage that became legal in 1996 courtesy of a Honolulu judge
in Huawei where he gave the gays the right to marry and make a couple (Kramer,
1997). The legalization of gay marriage allows the same sex couple come open and
discloses their status as lovers. Legalization of same-sex marriage aimed at bringing
an end to the discrimination that the country's constitution subjected the same
gender couples. This has ended up shifting to the other states thus initiating a battle
between the states the gays and the lesbians seeking to have recognition just as the
other people. This being a horrifying trend that many Christians got scared and felt
that their faith and culture was at risk of being corrupted (Lahey & Alderson, 2009).
The religion on its side has expressed a lot of opposition towards the same
sex marriage where the clergy has been in the frontline to advocate against its
legalization. Most of the USA largest religious institutions including the Roman

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Catholic Church remained firmly contrary to same gender marriage (Masci & Lipka,
2). Other big churches opposed to the ruling in favor of gays are the Anglican
Church and the Lutheran Church. Their argument was that procreation could only
continue through the union between people of different gender (Cherlin, 2004). The
religion has however not succeeded in stopping the legalization of this new culture of gays and
the lesbians.
Civil society in different nations has fought hard to promote the rights of the
same gender couple. They argue that people should not be discriminated basing on
their race, culture, marital status, or religion. Thus fighting for same-sex couples to
join and register a movement that can fight for their rights just as other ordinary
people. Movements are aiming at obtaining civil rights to marry and benefits same
gender couples in begun back in the United States. This brought about the
revolution in the marriage institution where people changed the view towards the
same sex couples (Goldberg, 2010). The led to the courtroom battles which has borne fruits in
most nations including USA where same-sex wedding is a constitutional right (Goldberg, 2010).
The movement resulted in the legalization of their marriage and can now walk freely as the
couple without discrimination.
Despite the much opposition expressed by both the society and the religion, it is clear that
everybody has their rights despite marital orientation. This is not almost worldwide and
unstoppable. The religion has the obligation to accommodate all and convince the same sex
couples why they should change other than opposing them. Every adult of sound mind has a
right to choose their partners either of a different sex, and there is no problem about that.

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4
References

Cherlin, A. J. (2004). The deinstitutionalization of American marriage. Journal of Marriage and

Family, 66(4), 848-861.
Goldberg, A. E. (2010). Lesbian and gay parents and their children: Research on the family life
cycle. American Psychological Association.
Kramer, L. (1997). Same-sex marriage, conflict of laws, and the unconstitutional public policy
exception. Yale Law Journal, 1965-2008.
Lahey, K. A., & Alderson, K. (2009). Same-Sex Marriage. Insomniac Press.
Martha, N. (2009, September 16). A Right to Marry? Same-sex Marriage and
Constitutional Law. Retrieved July 24, 2015, from dissentmagazine.org:
https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/a-right-to-marry-same-sex-marriageand-constitutional-law
Masci, D., & Lipka, M. (2, July 2015). Where Christian churches, other religions
stand on gay marriage. Retrieved July 24, 2015, from pewresearch.org:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/02/where-christian-churchesstand-on-gay-marriage/