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Alejandra Martinez

ENGL 1302-101

Dr. Sharity Nelson

5 October 2022

Same-Sex Marriage: The Reverberation in the United States

Introduction

In recent years around the nation, the rise of social and political movements has taken

place in regards to the legalization and rights of homosexuals and those who identify as part of

the LGBTQ+ community. This topic of research and its scholarly context would discuss same-

sex relationships and how it has recently been shaping the United States in different aspects of

society. Through experiment and observation, it has been noted that many people of younger

generations are more open and accepting to societal change, while members of older generations

seem more opposed to the idea (Harmann, Kaufman et. al., Perry). The relevance of this

scholarly conversation aims to evaluate how the topic of same-sex relationships affect different

aspects of the community. This paper demonstrates that scholars investigating same-sex

relationships focus on politics, adoption, social views and religion. This research analysis

presents the existing research that reports some of the many supreme court rulings regarding the

rights of homosexuals including their rights to adoption and marriage, the public views on the

topic along with the way that the LGBTQ experience discrimination within society, and how the

adoption of these laws have impacted the church and various religions.

Political Perspective

One major concern scholars discuss regarding same-sex relationships is the different

political views and stand points of Americans. As Hermann explains, the United States Supreme
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court in Obergefell v. Hodges was a significant settlement for gay rights and the decision

commanded “equal dignity” for all gays and lesbians in the country (367). Mohrman also

explains that the Supreme Court decision determined that marriage was a right that cannot be

legally denied to same-sex couples (57). This ruling, along with other smaller court decisions

was a major decisive moment in the gay rights movement because for the first time, the privilege

of marriage was granted to people in same-sex relationships. In the United States, citizen’s

liberties are protected under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Lohsl

argues that the state of Indiana “unconstitutionally violates” this clause along with the Equal

Protection Clause by not including language that is gender-neutral in the state’s Parenthood

Statutes and Live Birth Worksheet (136). Lohsl argues that the state of Indiana needs to make

reformative changes to these documents in regards to gender equality/neutralism to ensure that

every single person is included (heterosexual, homosexual, and transgender).

It should be noted that most of the people who oppose the legalization of same-sex

marriage are those who associate themselves with the Republican political party as well as

having more conservative views (Frame, 2021; Kaufmann et. al., 2022; Perry, 2016). While

surveying college students from the southeast United States, Kaufman et. al. concluded that

students who are republican and tend to be more politically conservative, “show greater support

for conventional marriage and less support for same-sex and polyamorous marriage” (1604).

Perry also noted that people who are more opposed to same-sex relationship are prone to be older

males from the south, who are likely to be less educated and are politically conservative. These

people also show a tendency to be more religiously devout (638).

Point of View on Adoption

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Adopting a child in the United States can be lengthy and expensive. This process seems

to be more troublesome to couples of the same-sex. Bradley explains that many adoption

agencies and administrations do not allow children to get adopted by same-sex couples in the

United States at all. Many partners resort to finding loopholes such as international adoption,

artificial insemination procedures, and single-parent adoption (135). Moreover, both parents and

children lack a number of benefits that are granted to traditional families. In many cases, only

the biological parent or the parent who was originally granted adoptive rights has legal rights to

the child, and the child may only be a dependent for health insurance benefits of the parent with

legal rights (Bradley, 2007). Lohsl argues that if the state of Indiana makes reformative changes

to the live birth worksheet such as including gender-neutral language, a birth certificate may be

used for survivor benefits if one spouse passes away (136). If Indiana, along with other states,

adopt these practices, homosexual families will benefit tremendously. Bradley supports this

claim by stating “children currently residing with homosexual parents cannot receive social

security survivor benefits when one parent passes away” (138).

Social Factors and Views

Although the LGBTQ have gained some rights in the country in recent years, many

people still face social prejudice and this mainly affects younger generations. Kaufman et. al.

explains that there is an increase of Americans, mainly younger people (Generation-Z and

Millennials), that have a family member or close friend who associates themselves with LGBT.

Contact with someone who identifies with the queer community is associated with support for

same-sex marriage (1601). Younger generations of Americans, mainly those who are college

students, have a more positive view of marriage between same-sex couples mainly because they
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grew up in a more tolerable and friendly social environment for LGBTQ issues (Kaufman et. al.,

2022).

Although homosexuals were granted the right to marry in 2015, the court decision did not

protect them from social discrimination in the workplace or in the public environment. Many

people struggle with the inequity that they encounter in public settings. Because of the

unfairness same-sex partners face, many couples often become reconciled to relational

challenges stemming from the stigmatized nature of their relationship (Li, 2021). Many people

who have an “internalized homophobia” may have a harder time than others with coming out to

themselves and to others, consequently, feeling more levels of stress when faced with bigotry.

Genadek explains that same-sex couples’ personal relationships may experience harmful effects

of stress from discrimination from members of society. The author continued to explain that one

partner may be more anxious being seen in public than their counter partner, thus causing

relationship problems (479).

Religious Outlook

Most of the social opinions are backed up and based upon religious beliefs. According to

Madera’s research, the Catholic church considers marriage as a holy bond between a man and a

woman, consequently, the church has recently started to face controversial issues (1). The

Mormon church has also faced public scrutiny throughout time for its practices and policies

including polygamy and racism (Mohrman, 2021). The two religions are often trying to evolve

their standards and practices to progress with time without changing too much of their values.

However, while examining the stances and mindsets toward same-sex marriage of the non-

religious, Frame concluded that non-theists (atheists and agnostics) show a greater possibility of
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supporting same-sex marriage compared to the religiously disengaged (non-religious but not

atheist) (1520).

Conclusion

Many disputes have transpired involving same-sex relationships and the effects it has

recently been having on citizens of the United States. However, the research mentioned in this

analysis has concluded that many factors and opinions come into play when discussing this topic

and how the attitudes of society mentally affect the LGBTQ. There is much more research that

needs to be researched about same-sex couples and their personal relationships as well as their

relationships with others. While laws and court decisions have declared it unconstitutional to

deny the right to marry a couple of the same-sex, these people still face social and religious

discrimination. It can be concluded that the gay rights movement will continue to evolve and

transform the United States into a more accepting country in the future.
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Works Cited

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Same-Sex Foster Care Adoptions.” Family Court Review, vol. 45, no. 1, 2007, pp. 133-

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Frame, Nicole. “Intragroup Differences of the Non-Religious Attitudes Toward Same-Sex

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United States Supreme Court Decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.” Indiana Law Review,

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Kaufman, Gayle, et.al. “Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage, Polyamorous Marriage, and

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