1. Nolan Russell
English 102, 11AM
Final Draft-5 Point Position Paper
May 12, 2014
No Pot of Gold Without a Rainbow
All men are created equal, no matter how hard you try you can never erase those words
--Harvey Milk
A young couple, Shane and Tom, had been life partners for a little over six years before
tragedy suddenly struck, and Tom had lost his life in a fatal rooftop accident. The two shared a
place of residence, bank accounts, and other possessions as a joint companionship. Shane and
Tom were waiting to legally be bound in marriage once it became an official law in their state of
residence. The unfortunate matter is that because they weren’t legally recognized as married,
many of the couple’s belongings were repossessed by Tom’s parents and government officials.
Tom’s parents were unaccepting of their relationship, so much so that Shane was not allowed to
attend the funeral and was threatened to be beaten by Tom’s father and uncle if he showed face at
the service. A life shared with his life partner of six years was suddenly erased by both his de-
ceased lovers parents, and indirectly by the government who had not allowed the two to become
lawfully recognized as one (Bloodworth).1
Equity
With legalization, all couples will receive the financial security and benefits of one another. The
American government is built on equal rights for all citizens in the country. Current U.S. Presi-
dent Barrack Obama, publicly stated during a Democratic primary debate in 2007 that: “The
Documentary Bridegroom was originally based upon a YouTube video created by Shane titled under ‘It1
Could Happen to You’. “This film, posted on YouTube, received over 3.4 million views and has been
translated into over 20 different languages.”(Bloodworth)

2. government has to treat all citizens equally. I am a strong supporter not of a weak version of civil
unions[marriage], but of a strong version, in which the rights that are conferred at the federal
level to persons who are part of the same-sex union are compatible. When it comes to federal
rights, the over 1,100 rights that right now are not being given to same-sex couples, I think that’s
unacceptable” (Weigner). Since 2007, the country has experienced major political changes to
help eliminate those 1,100 ill granted rights toward same sex couples.
An example of certain progress is displayed in the Supreme Court case, United States v.
Windsor, which struck down the discriminatory federal Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA] af-
firming that all loving and committed couples who are married deserve equal legal respect and
treatment from the federal government. According to the Human Rights Campaign, some of
these benefits for same sex couples married in recognized states will include: the ability to file
for joint taxes, social security benefits, equal support and benefits for spouses’ of service mem-
bers, and allowing federal employees spouses’ too receive health insurance and retirement bene-
fits (DOMA). Our own American Constitution is built upon equal and free rights for [all] of its
citizens, regardless of nationality, gender, and race; that said, why should Americans [or any-
one’s] sexual orientation dictate otherwise for not receiving the same legal opportunities and pro-
tection like every other citizen?
Choice
Everyone deserves the right to choose. The United States Constitution supports individual
choice. The Declaration of Independence directly states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”(Kindig). Our self oblig-

3. ation as a citizen in this country is to work toward obtaining our own pursuit of happiness; mean-
ing, being able to self express and make choices freely without the government[or anyone] dic-
tating how to obtain such happiness.
Other scripts and documents throughout history continually advocate toward freedom of
choice and equality for all humanity. For example, according to Article 16 of the UN Decelera-
tion of Human Rights, “Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationali-
ty, or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as
to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution”(UDHR). As humans and citizens of a nation,
we are encouraged and responsible for making decisions that relate back to obtaining this long
sought for pursuit of happiness. Choosing who we love shouldn’t be decided by anyone besides
the individuals who are directly affected by one another’s passion and endearment for each other.
Against Biblical Scripture?
Same sex marriage goes against the teachings which the Bible and Jesus have left behind for all
Christians and humanity to live by; but there are also other matters which seem barbaric today
which the sacred scripture teaches. At one point or another, every citizen is guilty of breaking
certain ‘laws’ stated in the bible regardless of personal beliefs or religious affiliation. A passage
from Leviticus 11:10 reads, "But whatever is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins
and scales among all the teeming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in
the water, they are detestable things to you”(Greenspan). Another passage from Leviticus 11:8, in
reference towards the treatment of swine, reads "You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their
carcasses; they are unclean to you” (Greenspan). Modern society, including modern day Chris-

4. tians, does not follow these teachings too the exact, so much so that businesses are created which
specifically promote and sell products that are directly against the scriptures teachings.
A more specific example related to current society deals with the National Football
League [NFL], which is one of the highest grossing sport leagues in the world with 32 teams av-
eraging a net worth of $1.17 billion (Ozanian). Football is considered to be barbaric and should2
not have been created, if following the bibles script stated in Leviticus 11:8. The sports original
footballs were made out of pig hide, which the passage clearly states is ‘unclean’ (Ozanian).
While the Bible is influential for many individuals as a guide to life and its various obstacles/di-
rections; society cannot dictate on how other people choose to live and love their life without
considering the amount of progress and advancements we have made today which outdate a book
written thousands of years ago.
Not Natural?
Having a mutual attraction to another human of the same sex seems unnatural, but if this being
the case, why do certain species of mammals have same sex partners as well? Homosexuals have
no different genetic makeup or ‘mutation’ then those which heterosexual couples do. To put sim-
ply we were all just born a certain individual way which cannot be changed. According to Arash
Fereydooni, author at Yale Scientific Magazine, recent research has found that homosexual be-
havior in animals may be much more common than previously thought. Although Darwin’s theo-
ry of natural selection predicts an evolutionary disadvantage for animals [not passing along
traits]…the validity of this part of his theory has been questioned with the discoveries of homo-
”In contrast, the world’s top 20 soccer teams have a mean value of $968 million. The average worth of2
Major League Baseball’s 30 teams is $744 million. And average values for the National Basketball Asso-
ciation and National Hockey League, also each with 30 teams, are $509 million and $282 million, respec-
tively” (Ozanian).

5. sexual behavior in more than 10% of prevailing species throughout the world (Fereydooni). The
idea of not being able to pass along or create genetic traits to offspring seems unnatural to some,
but that should not reject the idea of allowing same sex couples the opportunity to still create a
family. Heterosexual couples experience personal difficulties as well; for example, if a mother or
father is incapable of producing offspring because their [natural] bodies do not allow them too,
does that mean creating a family through adoption, a sergeant, or sperm donor is unnatural as
well?
Sends the Wrong Message?
Allowing untraditional marriages will cause our youth to develop the wrong idea or cause confu-
sion about who they are as individuals, or so some of the naysayers argue. That being said, main
stream media also advertises the use of explicit lyrics, scandalous activities, and stories of influ-
ential people [‘stars’] with behaviors looked down upon in society. Proper parenting should give
the youth faith into making their own rational decision making; besides, you cannot make the
adult decision to marry until the age of 18 which is legally considered as an adult in the U.S.
Taking a look at American rapper Michael Ray Nguyen-Stevenson, more popularly
known as Tyga, whose song lyrics in the popular radio party anthem ‘Faded’ refer to screwing
women and being under the influence of drugs. One particular line explicitly claims, “Treat her
like a dog, call that bitch lassie” (Stevenson). This particular tune has been played across the na-
tion on popular radio stations [clean/edited lyrical version], but even with censorship, the track
still displayed a level of discriminating connotation to individuals in society.
Children today have easy access to information, for better and worse, at the simple leisure
of their smartphones and computers. Marriage should be something expressed in a positive man-

6. ner, and not as some form of abusive power discriminating women as being inferior to men.
Artists like Seattle native Macklemore & Ryan Lewis positively shed light on the youth popula-
tion with the admirable track ‘Same Love’ which expresses direct support for same sex marriage.
Our nations youth is constantly exposed to all aspects of popular culture which are positive and
negative towards communities, but its our duty as adults in society to lead by example in show-
ing our support for issues of importance over material which serves to little to no value.
Where Do We Go From Here
Looking back at the couple Shane and Tom, they shouldn’t have lived in vein or fear of others
because of simply wanting the same marriage rights that everyone else has (Bloodworth). Soci-
ety has spoken, and we want to be on the right side of history and not repeat the same mistakes
we have made previously with issues of civil rights. One example is tested in the outcome of the
famous Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia which courts ruling in support of marriage, this
particular case dealing with multi-racial marriages, states that: “Marriage is one of the ‘basic civil
rights of man,’ fundamental to our very existence and survival…To deny this fundamental free-
dom on so unstoppable a basis as the racial [sexual orientation] classifications embodied in these
statues, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Four-
teenth Amendment”(Loving v. Virginia). Let’s not create another segregated country like those
back in the 1960’s dealing with African American Civil Rights, but rather, work toward a prag-
matic approach to establishing and recognizing the ‘America’ where everyone is equal.

7. Works Cited
Bloodworth, Linda. “Bridegroom: A Love Story. Unequaled.." . MOZARK Productions, n.d.
Web. 9 May 2014. <http://bridegroommovie.com/>.
"DOMA: Get the Facts | Resources." Human Rights Campaign. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May 2014.
<http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/doma-get-the-facts>.
Fereydooni, Arash. "Do Animals Exhibit Homosexuality?." Yale Scientific Magazine. Yale
Scientific, 14 Mar. 2012. Web. 9 May 2014. <http://www.yalescientific.org/2012/03/do-
animals-exhibit-homosexuality/>.
Greenspan, Sam. "11 Things The Bible Bans, But You Do Anyway - 11 Points." 11 Things The
Bible Bans, But You Do Anyway - 11 Points. N.p., 14 Sept. 2008. Web. 9 May 2014.
<http://www.11points.com/Books/11_Things_The_Bible_Bans,_But_You_Do_Anyway>.
Kindig, Thomas. "The Declaration of Independence." ushistory.org. Independence Hall
Association, n.d. Web. 9 May 2014. <http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/
index.htm>.
"Loving v. Virginia." LII / Legal Information Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May 2014. <http://
www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/388/1>.
Ozanian, Mike. "The Most Valuable NFL Teams." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 14 Aug. 2013. Web.
9 May 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2013/08/14/the-most-
valuable-nfl-teams/>.
Stevenson, Michael, and Dwanye Carter. ""Faded" lyrics." TYGA LYRICS. Young Money
Publishing Inc., n.d. Web. 9 May 2014. <http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/tyga/
faded.html>.

8. "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UDHR, Declaration of Human Rights, Human
Rights Declaration, Human Rights Charter, The Un and Human Rights." UN News
Center. UN, n.d. Web. 9 May 2014. <http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/>.
Weigner, Mackenzie . "Obama gay marriage quotes." POLITICO. N.p., 9 May 2012. Web. 10
May 2014. <http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76109.html>.