Liu 1 ENG1020 Dec. 1 2012 Gay Marriage should be Legal Gay marriage refers to a marriage between people of the same sex. Marriage is a union that allows people the joy of companionship and love, both of which make life more fulfilling. Every human being seeks to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance, and each person looks for this acceptance from others who will share in his or her values and beliefs. When a person finds someone with whom they share these similarities, they marry and form a family where they feel accepted and treasured. Companionship therefore is a natural instinct that every person is born with, and gay persons have the same instinct as heterosexuals. Some suggest that gay people should form their union in secret but not in the public eye. However, that is equal to discrimination, and gay people have a right to show their love and desire to be with their companions for life openly. There are several reasons why gay marriage should be legalized, and these are both social and legal. The major argument against gay marriage is the notion that same sex marriage are anti- procreation and that legalizing gay marriages will lead to a decrease in birth rate since the core of marriage is procreation. According to the data from 2011 census, six states permit gay marriage, these states that permit gay marriage are growing more slowly than the rest of the country. Here are the data Connecticut: 4.9%, Iowa: 4.1%, Massachusetts: 3.1%, New Hampshire: 6.5%, New York: 2.1%, Vermont: 2.8%. These are the population growth rate between 2000 to 2011 for those states that permit gay marriage. More so, if gay marriage is legalized, it does not stop heterosexual couples from having children. The two are not mutually exclusive, and thus, legalizing gay marriage does not impede on the ability of the heterosexual couples to procreate. There are also various avenues of procreation in today’s modern world, and these avenues favor procreation even in gay marriages. An example is the use of surrogate mothers and in-vitro fertilization. These two options allow same sex couples to have children with their own DNA, which nullifies the argument that gay marriages are a danger to procreation. This argument on procreation insinuates that gay marriage would be acceptable if the partners could bear and nurture children. However, the same people who put up this argument go further to contradict themselves by saying that same sex households are unfit environments for raising children. Therefore, they ideally prefer if same sex partners remain childless yet they attack them about it. There has been no sociological research or any data proving that children raised by same sex partners are less equipped to be in society than those raised in heterosexual marriages. Therefore, this cannot be a basis to disapprove the legalizing of gay marriage since the basis of the argument is prejudiced. Since ancient times, there have been different forms of marriages acros ...

1. Liu 1
ENG1020
Dec. 1 2012
Gay Marriage should be Legal
Gay marriage refers to a marriage between people of the same
sex. Marriage is a union that allows people the joy of
companionship and love, both of which make life more
fulfilling. Every human being seeks to feel a sense of belonging
and acceptance, and each person looks for this acceptance from
others who will share in his or her values and beliefs. When a
person finds someone with whom they share these similarities,
they marry and form a family where they feel accepted and
treasured. Companionship therefore is a natural instinct that
every person is born with, and gay persons have the same
instinct as heterosexuals. Some suggest that gay people should
form their union in secret but not in the public eye. However,
that is equal to discrimination, and gay people have a right to
show their love and desire to be with their companions for life
openly. There are several reasons why gay marriage should be
legalized, and these are both social and legal.
The major argument against gay marriage is the notion that
same sex marriage are anti- procreation and that legalizing gay
marriages will lead to a decrease in birth rate since the core of
marriage is procreation. According to the data from 2011
census, six states permit gay marriage, these states that permit
gay marriage are growing more slowly than the rest of the
country. Here are the data Connecticut: 4.9%, Iowa: 4.1%,
Massachusetts: 3.1%, New Hampshire: 6.5%, New York: 2.1%,

2. Vermont: 2.8%. These are the population growth rate between
2000 to 2011 for those states that permit gay marriage. More so,
if gay marriage is legalized, it does not stop heterosexual
couples from having children. The two are not mutually
exclusive, and thus, legalizing gay marriage does not impede on
the ability of the heterosexual couples to procreate. There are
also various avenues of procreation in today’s modern world,
and these avenues favor procreation even in gay marriages. An
example is the use of surrogate mothers and in-vitro
fertilization. These two options allow same sex couples to have
children with their own DNA, which nullifies the argument that
gay marriages are a danger to procreation. This argument on
procreation insinuates that gay marriage would be acceptable if
the partners could bear and nurture children. However, the same
people who put up this argument go further to contradict
themselves by saying that same sex households are unfit
environments for raising children. Therefore, they ideally prefer
if same sex partners remain childless yet they attack them about
it. There has been no sociological research or any data proving
that children raised by same sex partners are less equipped to be
in society than those raised in heterosexual marriages.
Therefore, this cannot be a basis to disapprove the legalizing of
gay marriage since the basis of the argument is prejudiced.
Since ancient times, there have been different forms of
marriages across the years that do not fit into the conventional
heterosexual monogamous marriage. For example, polygamy,
polyandry, marriage with concubines, marriage between
cousins, to name a few. Hence, to call monogamous
heterosexual marriage the natural marriage or traditional
marriage is to assume that every person’s beliefs about marriage
are similar, and to ignore all history. It is ignorance to call
heterosexual monogamous marriage the traditional marriage and
ignore all other forms of marriages, and it is consequently
ignorance to call same sex marriage unnatural. People’s belief

3. system shapes their idea of what marriage entails and describes
what is natural and unnatural. For example, Christians consider
same sex marriage unnatural because of their belief system
which is based on the Bible, but atheists do not share in this
belief. Thus, a Christian cannot decide for the atheist what is
natural and unnatural since their belief systems are different.
Which means that the definition of what marriage is should be
the right of a person as belief is. Therefore, people should not
impede on the rights of others to engage in their own definition
of marriage nor force them to conform to it. Same sex partners
have a right to define marriage as they understand it and to be
in it.
Gay marriage should be legalized because it is a constitutional
right for gay people to have freedom of choice in matters of
marriage. The constitution promotes liberty and equality, which
means that all people have a right to enjoy this freedom without
prejudice. To make gay marriage illegal is to say that the
government has the right to decide which part of the
constitution to follow. It would mean that that discrimination is
allowed and that the constitution is optional. That is a
dangerous road to tread on because the power to revoke the
rights of one group of people can lead to further discrimination
of other groups and eventual complete disregard for the
constitution. The constitution governs a country and ensures
that harmony is maintained and the freedoms of people are
protected. It protects the people from having their rights
infringed on and allows liberty. However, when the rights of
one group are infringed on, liberty does not exist. Therefore,
gay marriage should be legalized in order to protect the
constitution and subsequently, the liberty of the country.
Legalizing gay marriage will help in the fight against
discrimination. All through history, people have discriminated

4. against those they perceive as defective or inferior. Initially,
discrimination led to colonization of perceived inferior races
and eventual racism against the darker skinned races. Many
atrocities were committed against these “inferior” races and it
has taken several years of fighting this discrimination to acquire
equal treatment of races. Yet, the effects of years of
discrimination are still being felt. Legalizing gay marriage will
prevent discrimination against gays and turn them into accepted
members of society. It will reduce the possibility of gay bashing
and will protect their rights, and would give them higher social
recognition in society as legally married couples are treated
with respect. A society with discrimination breeds conflict and
possible violence, and preventing discrimination fosters
harmony, which is beneficial for all people, both heterosexual
and homosexual. After all, heterosexual parents can bear gay
children, and each parent wants to bring up their child in a
world that is not prejudiced against them. A society free of
prejudice would appeal to all alike.
Research has proven that married people have higher chances of
better health than unmarried people do. This is because of the
companionship that comes with marriage. In a marriage one
finds a person to share burdens with and enjoy life with. This
creates fullness in life and when one falls ill, they have
someone caring for them. These are pleasure of life that every
person has equal rights to and is unkind to deny the gays a
chance to find fullness in life. In a more wholesome picture, a
healthier society would save the government millions of dollars
spent on disease and medication. It is therefore financial
beneficial for gay marriage to be legalized.
These rights include the ability to inherit the partner’s property,
the ability to co-sign and own joint property and insurance, to
name a few. They would otherwise be denied these rights even

5. after years of cohabiting because of lack of a marriage
certificate. According to Common Law of Marriage, a marriage
certificate acknowledges their union to the public and the
government, and this makes it possible for them to get rights of
a legally married couple. Without legal marriage, their union
regardless of the number of years spent together would not be
acknowledged, and this would make them be recognized as
separate entities by law. Lack of recognition makes it difficult
for them to adopt a child because married couples are favored as
a more stable environment to raise a child than single people.
Therefore, the recognition would help them be viewed as a
married couple and thus make adoption more possible.
Legalizing same sex marriages can also be of social benefit to
the general society in terms of providing stable homes for
adopted children. There are many children in need of love and
security that being part of a family provides. When a married
couple adopts a child, the child gets the privilege of having a
home, a family, an education, and love. Having same sex
marriages legalised improves the chances of adoption for those
in same sex relationship, this increases the number of couples
who can adopt, and thus more children get the experience of
having a family’s love and the benefits that come with being
part of a family.
Erosion of moral values in society is an argument against
legalising same sex marriages; however, allowing same sex
marriages would help to stabilise their sexual relationships
because marriage encourages one to have responsible sexual
behaviour, which is rarely present among single people. This
will foster the morals in the society. To pronounce support for
morality, and refute gay marriages is contradictory because
marriage is an institution that is of high morality and the core of
society because it is the beginning of family. Therefore, to
allow same sex marriage is to promote morality, and going
against it is promoting reckless sexual behaviour that comes

6. with being single.
In conclusion, legalizing same sex marriages is a topic that
fuels various discussions on morality, human rights, gender
roles and religion. At the end of the day, it is an individual
decision that should not be put under such scrutiny by the
public in order to prevent discrimination from crippling the
society, discrimination of any group for whichever reason is
unlawful and infringing on a person’s rights. It is the social and
legal right for gays to marry legally, and it would be
discriminating to deny them their right based on our beliefs.
Such discrimination would be terming them as inferior or
defective as a people, which would be the same as
condemnation and accepting society’s prejudices. We should
defend the constitutional right of liberty and foster the vision of
the founding fathers to create a nation where all are equal and
none is less equal than the rest. Gay marriage should be
legalized.
Works Cited
Mackun, Paul and Wilson Steven. “Population and Distribution
and Change: 2000 to 2011” 2011 Census Briefs. March
2011
Schauder, Stephanie. “Christian Ethical Arguments Regarding
Same Sex Marriage” Vol 3 2011
Meyer, Cathy. “What is Common Law Marriage” Nov. 2010