The controversial topic I would like to elaborate on is same
sex marriage. Some people are for a change and the equality of people and other
people believe it is wrong to marry a couple of the same sex, this is not a new
issue in our society but rather an ongoing issue that needs to be talked about
and discussed with an open mind. “While societies that prohibit same-sex marriage
equally permit individual heterosexuals and homosexuals to marry one adult of
the opposite sex, same-sex couples in such societies are denied an important
right that opposite-sex couples enjoy” (Williams). Only thirteen states have
legal same-sex marriage. Those states include California, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts,
Delaware, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine,
Maryland and Washington. That may sound like quite a few as I list them out but
in reality it is not compared to the thirty five states that have ban same-sex
marriage whether it was through a constitutional amendment or a state law. The
only state part of the United States of America that has no law banning or
legalizing same-sex marriage is New Mexico. Same-sex marriage discussion arouse
first around 1993 when Hawaii ruled laws against same-sex marriage violated people’s
rights and was very discriminatory. On September 21st, 1996 President
Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which ban “federal
recognition of same-sex marriage and defining marriage as a legal union between
one man and one woman as husband and wife” (CNN). Because of that most states now
only recognize marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman. Outside of
the United States of America only sixteen other countries have specific laws
allowing same-sex marriage. Almost a
decade after Bill Clinton’s statement on February 24, 2004, President George W.
Bush publicly spoke about his support towards banning same-sex marriage. As you
all can tell same-sex marriage is something that is currently an ongoing issue,
on the rise to a equal solution. How can one person tell another person what
the norm is and what is acceptable for society and for an individual. The
public is involved in this issue many ways. Many people either support or oppose
this topic and everyone’s opinion has an impact, the opposing side makes up for
the majority of people in society but for what reason. Some people may have
religious beliefs against same-sex marriage, some people are just ignorant
towards the topic and there are the people that have no negative or positive input
on the topic. As stated the people with the issues have spoken up and loudly,
there are laws in place to control ‘love’, what sense does that make. Some
fight banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional but yet there are laws
being put in place and nothing is being done to grow as a society. People seem
to be stuck in their old ways, when will people be open to equality and peace
for everyone. We, in the USA, are Americans and deserve the freedom stated in
the constitution. Who are you to put a label on love?
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=ade829d8-27b5-4037-b160-1f393681f386%40sessionmgr14&vid=1&hid=19&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=a9h&AN=67449654
http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/human-services/same-sex-marriage-laws.aspx
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/28/us/same-sex-marriage-fast-facts/
http://gaymarriage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004857
As you write this, DOMA has already been struck down by the Supreme Court and the number of states allowing same-sex marriage has only increased. The recent electoral victory of Cory Booker as Senator of New Jersey - and his subsequent pledge to officiate same-sex marriages - means that another state has now been prompted to review its laws. Many social conservative groups have recognized that this issue seems to have reached a "tipping point" and thus have diverted resources toward still "win-able" issues like abortion. There will likely never be a time when same-sex marriage is recognized in every state, but there will likely be federally mandated standards to assure privileges as "domestic partners." I would suggest that you look into another idea - this assignment is meant to give you practice in campaign design - not just to research and report on the many, already-successful campaigns used in a largely decided issue. Please let me know how I can help.
ReplyDelete