Same Sex Marriage in India and the United States - Essay Example

According to the Bible, God sent Adam and Eve, of two different sexes, to the earth for procreation. According to Hindu mythology also the first human beings that were sent down were Manu and Shatarupa, again of two different sexes. The purpose in both cases was procreation because this can happen only with the union between the opposite sexes. Same sex marriages are condemned the world over by every religion as it goes against the law of nature. While spiritualism directs to look at every individual as a soul and not to look at the external form and shape, hence beyond gender, but same sex marriages create social distortions and challenge the very institution of marriage. In India same sex marriages are a taboo and motherhood is essential to attain fulfillment. Nevertheless, close-knit Indian families are traveling beyond and embracing the new way of sharing love. In the US, same sex families claim to provide the same environment to the children and the children grow up in a better environment than natural families and hence through adoption, they can fulfill the desire to have children. Same sex marriages in the US is gaining acceptance while in India it is still a stigma and a taboo. India and the US differ widely in their perception and acceptance of same sex marriages and this research would look into the available literature. Motherhood brings fulfillment of womanhood and motherhood is not possible in the case of same sex marriages. In India, not being a mother is a social stigma and this has been highlighted by Riessman (2000). This article analyses the childless married women’s experience and resistance practices. This article is of particular importance as it brings to light the importance that is given to motherhood in India. Women even try to conceal the fact that they are childless or try to explain their situation or give reasons to avoid embarrassment. Hence motherhood is of great significance in India without which a woman is incomplete. This article helps to accept that same sex marriages in India would not work and calls for stiff resistance as motherhood is impossible among lesbians. In the US the thoughts on same sex marriages and on the children in such families are entirely different. Childlessness is not a stigma but the stigma attached to same sex marriages may lead to teasing and embarrassment for children of same sex marriages which in turn may restrict their ability to form and maintain friendships (Perrin, 2002). This article emphasizes that it is not the structural form of the family that matters but the nature and the interactions within the family unit that shapes the growth of the children in the family. Despite this stigma, children of same sex parents have been known to cope well with the challenge of understanding and describing their families to peers and friends. Perris however agrees that the desire for children is a basic human instinct and satisfies many people’s wish to leave a mark behind or feel responsible for having discharged the responsibility of perpetuating the family. This conforms to the desire to attain motherhood in Indian families. The article further highlights that conflict between partners is low in same sex marriages which has a positive effect on the children. Heterosexual families undergo tensions, separations, and reorganization after parental divorce but the same sex families have not experienced these transitions. This article thus lays emphasis that children in same sex families are balanced individuals and hence adoption should be permissible to same sex couples. Another article by Jones (2000) suggests that stability in same sex marriages is increasingly being recognized which is the reason why same sex couples are allowed to adopt children in the US. The societies all over the world have undergone a change and nuclear families with married fathers and mothers are no longer the only alternative available. Because of the stability of their relationship, the same sex couples are in a position to provide stability to the child and a healthy family environment. This article too is important for the research because it evidences that children in same sex families are in no way inferior to children from natural families. In India, same sex marriages are called ‘anti-human tendencies’ and is believed that the idea of same-sex marriages originate from ‘sick minds’. This article by Walia (2005) registers protest against such marriages and condemns the acceptance of such marriages in Canada. Canada has a large number of the Sikh community, an Indian community which is engaging in same-sex marriages in Canada. Indian literature like the Kama-Sutra does carry details of same-sex relationships (Amlani, 2004). In addition, there are erotic temples in Khajuraho and Indian sculptures that depict heterosexual and same-sex relationships. Despite these, the current society does not accept it as something human but there are evidences that Indian men and women living overseas are engaging in same sex relationships. In the US however, it is gradually gaining popularity and recently it has been legalized in many states. Laws in the US are effective state-wise while in India any law is implemented and applicable in the country as a whole. Thus the research was conducted of two countries – India and the US. Different situations were taken because India is still way behind in accepting same sex marriages. It is still considered against the law of nature and motherhood is not possible in such marriage which is the very purpose of human life. The situation in the US was considered on the other hand to understand the trends in developed countries and a comparative study between the developed and the developing countries could be understood. The research further found that in the US progressively the acceptance of same sex marriages and even adoption by same sex couples has been increasing. Research further suggests that since same sex families are able to provide a congenial environment for a healthy development of the child and there is stability in relationships, there is no reason why same sex marriages should not be accepted or why same sex couples should be barred from adoption. The basis of evaluation was an article that highlighted how motherhood is important in India and childlessness a stigma. Other articles that were studied were on the stable relationships in same sex families in the US and the development of children in the same sex families. The hypothesis has been tested by studying such varied articles because it is essential to understand the basic mindset in two different countries. The findings suggests that the initial answer has been confirmed that the position and acceptance of same sex marriage in India is still in the nascent stage while in the US it has gained wide acceptance both legally and morally. The research further suggests that even though India considers this an inhuman tendency, Indians of both sexes, residing overseas are engaging in same sex marriages. Within India, it is still a taboo but the Indians living abroad have embraced such change and are flowing with the times. Motherhood no more means to deliver a child; even adoption gives the same fulfillment. In the US arguments abound that children from same sex families are more balanced than children of heterosexual families and since the relationship between the same sex couple is stable, there is no reason to deny same sex couples the right to adopt children. The thesis has been affirmed that the mindset on same sex marriages in India too is gradually changing and in the US it is further progressing. References: Amlani, A, 2004, Same-Sex Marriage, India Currents, Retrieved online 25 November, 2008 from http://www.indiacurrents.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=a9d10067da250147dc2b6f85a5fa51e9 Jones, E, 2000, Adoption of Children by Same Sex Couples, Retrieved online 25 November, 2008 from http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_details.php?topicID=51 Perrin, EC, 2002, Technical Report: Coparent or Second-Parent Adoption by Same-Sex Parents, Pediatrics, Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Retrieved online 25 November, 2008 from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/109/2/341 Riessman, CK, 2000, Stigma and everyday resistance practices, Gender & Socity, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 111-135. Walia, V 2005, Akal Takht diktat against same-sex marriages , The Tribune, Retrieved online 25 November, 2008 from http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050117/punjab1.htm Read More