Introduction
Marriage is a very powerful bonding not just because it is covered by law, but also because of the very concept or institution it conveys to people (Kotulski, 2). Not just a mere ceremony, marriage is considered a right that all people including homosexuals should be given. Gay marriage is still on a battle for its acceptance in the society, and there are a lot of issues concerning its pros and cons. Its legalization is a problem met by the concerned homosexuals who had long been victims by public scrutiny for their unusual practice of having the same sex as a partner.
Gay marriage is striving to gain a legal right since that would mean not only having the privileges the same as those of a married heterosexual couple, but also to gain respect for their same-sex relationships. Homosexuals also want to communicate the love and commitment that are behind their still unaccepted partnership (Kotulski, 5 and Baird and Rosenbaum, 10).
Main body
The observance of heterosexuality and same-sex relationships is no longer a new issue or an argument so to speak, for it has been practiced for centuries until now. Same-sex relationships started in ancient Greece and Rome, though it was not until 1869 that homosexual relationship was recognized as a term. Same-sex relationship was considered normal in the ancient cultures, where in well-known philosophers in Greece were engaged in such.
Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates had male partners and considered them as their wife. This was not an issue since it was very normal for their culture to have a young man as a lover of an older man. When the young man became an adult, it would be his turn to find his own young man as a partner. In other areas, Rome for example, the Roman emperor himself had a male lover and even married him.
Gay relationships are also common in Native North Americans who practice the lifestyle known as “Berdache”. In this system, males dress like females and date other men. They do not suffer from much scrutiny unlike gays or homosexuals in other places because their outward looks are that of a heterosexual. Homosexual relationships can also be a normal part of the society, as is shown in countries like Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, and Norway where gay marriage is already legal. Many people, specifically the heterosexuals, are still against gay marriage and could possibly be due to the inherent fear of the different changes this legalization could bring about it the society (McKinnon, 1).
Tradition is one common argument against gay marriage. Advocates believe that tradition as a contradictory element is irrelevant. This is simply because if tradition would be used as a defense to oppose change, then a lot of laws would not be implemented. If the United States, for instance, is so strict that it does not allow tradition to be changed, civil rights, high technology, interracial marriages, and even independence would be among those that are still far from its reach. Also, people could possibly be tortured or scrutinized for having their own religious beliefs that are different from that of a majority. A believer of science who would stand up against a traditional belief of the Church can likewise be prosecuted for opposing what is already an established or traditional idea (Baird and Rosenbaum, 11).
Another argument posed by is opposing parties is procreation. However, advocates emphasize that not all traditional heterosexual marriages produce children. The reason might be due to some form of physical disability to procreate of one partner or both. Another is an understanding between the heterosexual couple that they would simply not produce any child because they do not want to or for any other reason. On the other hand, many homosexuals engaged in live-in partnerships raise children.
Gay couples make use of surrogate mothers to perform the task that they can not do. Doing this strategy gives them much more attachment due to the fact that they can be sure that the child that the surrogate mother would bear is their own flesh. Gay couples also resort to adoption. Advocates of gay marriage pose the argument that the society agrees that each and every couple has the right to experience being parents to a child. This right should also be given to gays, especially to those who are already living together and in the course of raising a child.
Since this opportunity of raising children is already being exploited by gay couples, they might as well be allowed to marry each other. The society can be wrong for scrutinizing gay couples who raised a good or even heterosexual child for many years, not wanting them to marry each other under a legal system (Kotulski, 27).
Another controversy against gay marriage comes with biblical opposition. First of all, not all people are Christians and hence, not all carries a Christian belief. Another thing that matters is that religion should not control the government and therefore does not have the right to dictate any decision regarding the legalization or not of gay marriage. It should be remembered that the government operates based on its own system or rules, which are not the same as the standards determined by Christian morality.
This would in turn mean that the government, which is the body in the position to legalize same-sex marriage, should not use these religious standards to determine whether or not it is constitutional or not to implement the legalization and acceptance of gay marriages (ACLU, 1-2, Kotulski, 28-30 and Baird and Roenbaum, 9-10).
Conclusion
The common arguments posed against the legalization of gay marriage are biblical restrictions and moral implications, procreation, and tradition. Opposing parties are still striving to prevent the homosexual from getting what they want. It should be noted that their offensive attacks can be proved to be lacking of a reasonable basis and are also unconstitutional. Everybody must first understand and accept that homosexual couples are normal. Legalization of gay marriage means being unselfish and giving everybody a chance to be happy.
Works Cited
ACLU. “ACLU Answers Gay Marriage: Should Lesbian and Gay Couples be Allowed to Marry?” 2008 .
Baird, Robert M.and Stuart E. Rosenbaum. Same-Sex Marriage: The Moral and Legal Debate. 2007.
Kotulski, Davina. Why You Should Give A Damn About Gay Marriage. 2007.
McKinnon, A, 2007. The Pros and Cons of Gay Marriage. Web.
