Gay Marriage Is Nothing Different Than Straight Marriage - Assignment Example

Professor Name Institution, course number Date Gay marriage is nothing different that straight marriage Gay marriages is one of the most discussable questions of the XXI century. Despite the fact, that they has been legalized in different countries of the world, there are still many opponents of such relationships. The aim of this work is to analyze gay marriages and prove that they are nothing different that straight marriages. Nowadays, homosexual marriages exist in 15 countries of the world, including most areas of the United States and several Mexican states, as well as Scotland, England and Wales. The first gay marriage was registered in 2001 in the Netherlands. It is very important to distinguish between the notions of homosexual marriage and homosexual union. The second one presupposes mutual living and time spending, while the fact of registration of marriage provides various rights for a couple. It includes the right to joint property, inheritance rights, social and health insurance, tax rebates and credits, the right to a name, the right not to testify in court against a spouse. The other advantages include the right to speak on a trustee behalf of a spouse in case of his incapacity due to the health conditions, the right to share parenting and education of foster children and other advantages, unavailable for unregistered couples. “Nine states and the District, encompassing about 15 percent of the U.S. population, have legalized gay marriage. This includes three states whose voters approved it on Nov. 6. Though it was opposed by a clear majority, 57 percent to 35 percent, in a 2001 Pew Research Center poll, gay marriage now enjoys a 48 percent plurality” (Lane, C., 2012). The legislation of the United States of America refers the family law to the jurisdiction of the states, which puts the issue of gay marriages entirely in the hands of state governments. According to the data, published in October 15, 2014, the same-sex marriages are legalized in thirty states out of fifty and the District of Columbia. In 19 states, homosexual marriage is prohibited by the Constitution. In the state of Wyoming, as well as Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands the government bans such marriages on the legislative basis. In five states there is a constitutional prohibition on the same-sex marriage. These states include Texas, Michigan, Arkansas, Florida, and Kentucky. Analyzing these data, we can see that that the legalization of the homosexual marriages increases all over the world. People become more patient in relation to the same-sex couples. However, some part of the society is still obsessed with the prejudice about such marriages. The most widespread fact is predetermined by religion. “The gay marriage debate, dominated by “civil rights” argument and rhetorical condensations such as “marriage equality,” has been reduced for many people to an intransigent stand-off of only two parties: those who advocate for gay marriage as a civil right vs. those who have religious objections” (Wood, Peter, 2011). According to the religion of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, homosexual ties are treated as a great sin and contradiction to the laws of nature. Classical Buddhism defines homosexuality as a violation of sexual behavior. However, in the second half of the XIX century Jews and Christians reconsidered the notion of gay relationships. The supporters of the same-sex marriage consider that marriage registration is a legal action, regardless of the religious norms (in most modern states, legal and ecclesiastical marriage ceremonies are hold separately). They also insist on the judgment that law must follow the social changes, which lead to the elimination of inequality between people. A good example is the abolition of the previously existing prohibitions on the registration of unequal marriages (for example, between spouses, belonging to different social strata, religion or race). The supporters of homosexual marriages interpret the arguments against same-sex unions, referring to the traditions and religious norms, as a pressure on the society or the selective application of the law. The opponents of the same-sex marriage believe that the recognition of the state and the registration of homosexual relationships change the principles of the civil law. It concerns also the legislative documents, in which the words "husband" and "wife", "father" and "mother" are substituted by the general terms ("spouse 1" and "spouse 2" or "parent 1" and "parent 2"). They also argue that such marriages can break the principles of human identity (for example, gender differences and family relationships), creating completely new form of communication – a "social" one, which does not depend on the reality of human nature and is not based on gender, but depends on the lifestyles and sexual preferences of the person. The other important argument of the opponents of homosexual couples refers to the child’s upbringing in such families. The majority of social strata believe that a gay couple is not able to rise a socially adequate person, due to the peculiarities of their style of life. However, the modern researches showed that in some cases same-sex couples are even better parents, than ones in the traditional families are. “Extensive data available from more than 30 years of research reveal that children raised by gay and lesbian parents have demonstrated resilience with regard to social, psychological, and sexual health despite economic and legal disparities and social stigma. Many studies have demonstrated that children’s well-being is affected much more by their relationships with their parents, their parents’ sense of competence and security, and the presence of social and economic support for the family than by the gender or the sexual orientation of their parents” (Weigel, M., 2013). Number of children in the same-sex pairs is estimated at 20-40 thousand. The statistics show us, that such experience is widely practiced. Nowadays, there are much more homosexual couples, who want to adopt children with disabilities or mental problems. It indicates that gay partners are more ready for difficulties, which they can face during the child upbringing, than the traditional ones. The modern era provides many examples of homosexual couples, who rise children and live as an ordinary married couple. Such examples exist even among celebrities, for example: Elton John and David Furnish, the actress Cynthia Nixon and Christine Marinoni and so forth. Homosexual relations are widely spread in mass media, occupying the headings of newspapers, magazines, best TV clips and so forth. The existence of same-sex love is as old as the existence of a traditional one. With the span of time history managed to change the attitude of the society towards it. In modern psychology and psychopathology homosexuality is a normal option, characterized by the nonstandard way of human thinking. In any case, whether we talk about same-sex love, or the so-called "traditional love", we describe one notion. In both cases it is characterized by the same emotions: affection, the need to care for somebody, respect, sympathy and so forth. Human being is a too complex creature and cannot exactly explain what exactly defines his feelings and behavior. The study of the causes of homosexual orientation provides an opportunity to clarify characteristics of the same-sex love. Each homosexual couple went through their own difficulties and changes. They undertook considerable pressure from the world, their friends and even close relatives. It is impossible to say what are the advantages or disadvantages of homosexual marriages. The thing is that they are an existing phenomenon, which must be accepted as a fact. Researching the style of life of gay marriages, it becomes obvious that same-sex couples do the same things as heterosexual ones, particularly eat sandwiches, watch TV and play golf. Perhaps, the main problem in terms of psychology of homosexuality is just the need of one person to love and be loved. Analyzing these facts, we can make a conclusion that gay marriages is nothing different that a straight marriage. Not every person has a brevity to announce that he is different from others. Taking into consideration the mass legalization of gay marriages in the XXI century, we can see that they take the same position in the system of law and society. Mass procedures, such as gay parades and registration of homosexual marriages is nothing else than a way of the same-sex couples to eliminate the restrictions of their rights, prevent the press and harassment of personal identity and make the society give a different look on their style of life. Works cited Lane, C. Charles Lane: Pushing same-sex marriage ahead, 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-lane-pushing-same-sex-marriage-ahead/2012/12/10/c3ba1fd4-42ee-11e2-8e70-e1993528222d_story.html Weigel, M. Same-sex marriage and children’s well-being: Research roundup, 2013. Retrieved from: http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/gender-society/same-sex-marriage-children-well-being-research-roundup# Wood, Peter. Debating Same-Sex Marriage, 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.nas.org/articles/Debating_Same-Sex_Marriage Read More