4 I The Behrend Beacon
f Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedorhpf speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances, - The First Ammendment to the U.S. Constitution
I
Point and Counterpoint: Gay
Bv Chris Brown
copy editor
Same-sex marriage remains a very con
troversial issue in American society.
Many opponents to same-sex marriage get
incorrectly lumped into the category of
ignorant, white, right-wing Christian fun
damentalists that voted for George W.
Bush. The only category that fits me is
that I'm white (Gasp!). 1 don't think it is
the right time for the legalization of same
sex marriage in the United States. There
just simply is not enough evidence on the
subject to conclude that the results of
legalization would be beneficial to society.
The main argument of proponents for
same-sex marriage is that homosexual
partners should be afforded the same ben
efits as heterosexual partners when they
get married. It is widely known that the
government gives out numerous tax bene
fits to married couples that are raising
children. Justice Martha Sosman,
Massachussets State Supreme Court,
notes in her dissenting opinion on a deci
sion regarding same sex marriage that.
"Many people are raising children outside
the confines of traditional marriage, and.
by definition, those children are being
deprived of the various benefits that
would flow if they were being raised in a
household with married parents."
Does this mean that every couple, be
they an unmarried heterosexual couple,
single mother, or homosexual couple,
receive the same benefits given to married
couples raising a family.’ No. This is
because there aren't any clear studies that
indicate whether or not any of these afore
mentioned family structures are harmful
to children and deserve sanction by the
government.
Many studies do however point to the
fact that a husband-wife family structure
is beneficial to child rearing as Lynne
Marie Kohm points out in an article in the
Journal of Contemporary Law. She states,
"Statistics continue to show that the most
stable family for children to grow up in is
that consisting of a father and a mother."
The studies that do exist on children that
were raised in a dual homosexual partner
family are conclusive on the point that
there is a marked difference between those
families. On the other hand, they are
inconclusive as to whether or not those
differences are good, bad. or neutral
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yet to reach adulthood due to this recent
phenomena of same-sex marriage. I urge
people to use this same precautionary
principle that environmentalists use to
protect plants and w ildlife from construc
tion. Society needs to concentrate on its
most important assets: children and their
future.
Marriage is an institution that exists out
side of the confines of politics and govern
ment; it is pre-political in its nature and is
something that society has shaped into
existence over thousands of years.
Jennifer Morse, a research fellow at the
Hoover Institution, writes, "Government
does not create marriage anymore than it
creates jobs...people instinctively create
marriage." This instinct for the last few
thousand years has told us that marriage is
a union between a man and woman. Yes,
there have* been changes on marriage
before But they occur slowly and with the
tide of public opinion, which remains
divided on this controversial issue.
Maybe a different category of union could
be created for homosexual couples just so
nature's institution of marriage remains
intact. However. I feel even this decision
could be rash and detrimental to society
without enough research.
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OPINION
The heavily debated issue of recognizing same-sex mar
riages in the United States has been increasingly popular in
the past few years. The 2004 Presidential Election dealt with
the issue on numerous occasions and the majority of
Americans sided with President George W. Bush by saying
the laws prohibiting same-sex marriages should not be abol
ished. What is America truly afraid of?
Are we afraid of another terrorist attack? No, because
President Bush tells us not to worry. Are we afraid of the
results from the war in the Middle East? No, President Bush
tells us our troops will be home soon and he has reason to
believe their presence in the Middle East is for the best of our
nation. Are we afraid to allow homosexuals the right to wed?
Yes, because President Bush tells us it is a sin. As a demo
cratic nation, we choose the leader we will follow, but how
far will we follow that leader?
In Wodd War 11, Germany followed the leader Adolf Hitler
who wanted to make Germany the best nation in the world.
He sent millions of Jews, blacks, gypsies and homosexuals to
their death. Hitler also said that homosexuality is a sin, and
Germany followed. All that racism got Hitler was cyanide in
his stomach and a bullet in his head.
I do not think the issue of homosexuality can ever be dis
cussed in the United States without the topic of religion com
ing up. Many individuals base their opinions about same-sex
marriages and homosexuality solely on their religious views.
"It’s not God’s will,” or “the Bible says homosexuality is a
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Marriage
sin,” some say. But isn’t the basis for Christianity and most
religions about love, compassion and faithfulness? The Bible
teaches many important morals and says all sins are equal,
but I wonder if the individuals who consider homosexuality
to be a sin have ever told a lie, committed adultery, dishon
ored their mothers and fathers, or indulged in the many “sin
ful” pleasures in life? I also wonder if they have ever taken
the time to actually open the Bible, studied its contents, and
read it in its entirety. The Bible does however clearly state,
God is love, so if marriage is the most obvious expression of
love, then how can the bond between two people who are in
love be wrong?
If the United States is supposed to be a land where all reli
gions, including atheism, are accepted, then why is the
American government basing its laws on “Christian” values?
If our government says that marriage is defined as a union
between a man and a women, based on the teaching of the
Bible, a book of Christian teachings, then why do they not
follow the Christian laws about divorce? It is an unfair and
unequal law, one which should not be examined according to
the sex of a couple. If there should be any laws around the
issue of marriage, it should deal with how compatible the
individuals are for one another.
Is it really fair that two intoxicated, heterosexual people
who have known each other for a mere 24 hours can legally
be married, yet two self-respecting homosexuals who have
been in a committed relationship for more than 30 years can
not? I don’t think so. Again, what is America afraid of?
According to the Lambda Legal Defense and Education
Fund, there are only a handful of states who currently allow
same-sex couples to be married, but the majority of them still
do not receive their full benefits. Of the pro-same-sex mar
riage states, Hawaii “offers domestic partnership benefits to
employees. The legislation gives same-sex couples the
broadest package of rights and benefits ever accorded gay
families in the United States.” Rhode Island which, “entitles
same-sex couples to wed, and offers domestic partner bene
fits to employees, but not a registry.”
As a heterosexual woman, I feel neither threatened nor
afraid of what could result from allowing same-sex couples
the same marital rights and privileges as every law-abiding
heterosexual couple. I do however have concerns and fears
about the escalating divorce rates among heterosexuals.
Clearly, we are not so good at whole marriage deal, so why
not give someone else a stab at it? Just as there are many het
erosexual couples who choose not to wed for personal, finan
cial, or religious reasons, homosexuals should have the same
choices. They are not animals to be dragged from the back of
a pick-up truck and they are not evil to be shunned from the
houses of religion. They are our school teachers, doctors,
town leaders, waitresses, business owners, actors and
actresses, neighbors, mothers/fathers, friends and our equals.
Same-sex couples deserve to experience the joy of a wedding
day, proclaim their devotion in front of their friends and fam
ily, live together for the rest of their lives, raise successful
children, and benefit from the same marital privileges as
every other citizen in this kaleidoscope of a country that is
America.
- Wearing mini-skirts in November
- Bad TV reception in classrooms
- Automatically flushing toilets
- Still no clocks in REDC
- Parking tickets
(check a box)
Friday, November 10, 2006