ISSUE OF HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE.   Term Paper ID:28913 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Discusses social & economic benefits to partners. Arguments for & against same-sex marriage. Legal domestic partnerships vs. traditional marriage.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Discusses social & economic benefits to partners. Arguments for & against same-sex marriage. Legal domestic partnerships vs. traditional marriage. Paper Introduction: The issue to be discussed is whether or not homosexuals should be allowed to marry one another. The main reason why those in the gay community have called for the right to marry is usually not from a desire to be married as such but because of the desire for various social and economic benefits denied to gay people because they cannot marry. For some in the gay community, demands for gay marriage may in fact be a form of challenge to the "straight" community. For those who are truly serious about the issue, however, what is important is the attempt to secure for homosexual partners rights that are taken for granted by heterosexual married couples, such as the right to inheritance, to insurance benefits, for one partner to visit the other in a hospital, and so on. Society to date has deemed marriage to mean more than this and to have at least the Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. 62-63). The issue to be discussed is whether or not homosexuals should beallowed to marry one another. .[and] would redefine human relationships as we have known them since thebeginning of recorded history" (Amiel, 1994, p. 9. One reason for the push for gay marriage today is the AIDSepidemic, for gays discovered that they could not count on the sameprotections married couples take for granted, such as insurance benefits,bereavement leaves, and inheritance rights. In some cities, whilecouples can register, they get little out of it but a title, for instance(Ames, 1992, p. Some in the gay community have taken a lead from the civil rightsmovement and more and more have asserted themselves as a political force,demanding recognition, respect, and equal treatment under the law. (June 6, 1994)"Ontario and Gays: A New Frontier?"Maclean's p. Domestic partnership may be defined indifferent ways, but it is presently confined almost exclusively tocohabitants who have a stable, intimate relationship and are financiallyinterdependent. Forsome, this means a sort of legal recognition of the domestic arrangementsof gay citizens so those citizens can enjoy certain legal benefits. It would not satisfyconservative groups that oppose domestic partnerships as well, and it wouldnot satisfy those gay groups insisting on full marriage as a right.However, it seems the most likely answer actually to be instituted. For those who are truly seriousabout the issue, however, what is important is the attempt to secure forhomosexual partners rights that are taken for granted by heterosexualmarried couples, such as the right to inheritance, to insurance benefits,for one partner to visit the other in a hospital, and so on. Leo, J. The number of "traditional" families has at thesame time declined steadily. 69). (May 24, 1993). At present, there are huge legal hurdles to same-sexmarriage, with some social and religious barriers that are even greater.Katha Pollitt sees it as hypocrisy not to be for same-sex marriage, and shealso points to the argument against it offered by conservatives that itwould be anti-family and like Stoddard argues that this depends on what youmean by family. The main reason why those in the gaycommunity have called for the right to marry is usually not from a desireto be married as such but because of the desire for various social andeconomic benefits denied to gay people because they cannot marry. . . For somein the gay community, demands for gay marriage may in fact be a form ofchallenge to the "straight" community. Society todate has deemed marriage to mean more than this and to have at least thepossibility of procreating children, and this idea is used as an argumentto deny gays the right to marry one another. The picture that much of America has of gays isbased largely on media images from urban centers, but this ignores the factthat gay people are found throughout America, in every walk of life. Some inthe gay community, however, see the domestic partnership as an inherentlysecond-class status that even at its best lacks the symbolic value ofmarriage (Salholz, 1993, p. News &World Report p. "Gay Rights, Gay Marriages." U.S. 19. (April 29, 1996). Indeed, some people in thegay community also see marriage as a heterosexual institution and want nopart of it. "Gay Marriage? In part, the argument may be waged over the meaning of marriage. Denying thepossibility of gay marriage or of any benefits to gay partners would beanother but would not achieve fairness. 62-63. References Amiel, B. Domestic partnership itself was unheard of a few years ago, butrecently it has been adopted by a handful of corporations and a dozen localgovernments across the country. Don't Say I Didn't WarnYou." The Nation p. Salholz, E. A median point of view would denygay marriage but allow some other definition of gay partnership to providebenefits to surviving partners, for instance. Clearly the word "marriage" carries certain connotations that theheterosexual world wants to protect. Thisalso means that there are many gay couples who live together in committedrelationships that for all intents and purposes would appear to bemarriages if the couple consisted of one representative of each gender.This fact and appeals for justice for this particular type of domesticpartnership has produced some results, for in 1993 the state supreme courtof Hawaii opened the door to legal marriage by ruling that Hawaii'sexisting ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional unless the state canshow that the prohibition is justified by a compelling state interest (Leo,1993, p. into a more equal, fluid and optional relationship whosepermanence depends on the mutual wishes of the partners" (Pollitt, 1996, p.9). (March 23, 1992) "Domesticated Bliss." Newsweek, p. 19). Of course, these issues can beaddressed through legislation to give people living together these rights,and the arrangement that results is called a domestic partnership. . Pollitt, K. Domestic partnership has often been seen as a gay issue,though this is not necessarily the case, and indeed the vast majority ofpeople using domestic partnership laws are heterosexual. Allowing gay marriage would be one approach. Ames, K. She sees same-sex marriage as a furtherance of herfeminist point of view in that it would be part of "the moderntransformation of marriage from a hierarchical, gender-polarizedrelationship. Social conservatives and religiousleaders in most denominations have taken the view that marriage isintrinsically a matter between men and women. One ofthe results has been a backlash on the part of many against the gaycommunity, leading to incidents of gay-bashing as well as the passage oflaws against the so-called gay lifestyle and against giving gay peoplecivil rights as a group. The benefitsaccruing in domestic partnerships also vary widely. Providing greater fairness isthe goal. (May 24, 1993) "For Better or for Worse," Newsweek, 69. 9. There has been significant opposition tothis sort of arrangement as well, largely from conservatives and religiousgroups, but the sort of domestic arrangements addressed have actuallyincreased more than 4 percent since 197 , with more Americans livingtogether outside marriage. The median position is probably the best answer, for it allowsdomestic partners to enjoy certain benefits without actually marrying.This would follow the trend already in evidence. Thismay be all that some are asking, while others are demanding a socialacceptance as well. The issue has been raised not only in Hawaii and in several states inthe United States but in Canada as well, where the Ontario government maygive homosexual couples the same recognition as heterosexual marriages.Barbara Amiel says that if this passes, "it will cross a new frontier. 9). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.