Same Sex Marriages Research Paper

The topic for your research paper must be argumentative; feel free to contact me for feedback, if you are unsure. You may not write about a topic covered in another essay for this course. The paper must be an argument, as presented in this course. It must have a clearly-stated major proposition, support of the major proposition, and a refutation. CQ Researcher, a database available to you via the College’s Library, is an excellent resource for both topics and articles!

Here is a link to areas to probe for topics (You are not limited to these topics.):

http://faculty.camdencc.edu/aspatola/eng102/topics.htm (Links to an external site.)

The research paper should consist of the following:

a. a brief (see course outline for examples)

b. the text of the research paper (5 pages of text – NOTE: text does NOT include brief or Works Cited!)

c. a Works Cited page (minimum of 5 sources, two of which must NOT be generic internet sites.) For up-to-date citation information use: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/index.html

ANSWER

Same Sex Marriages

Same-sex marriage is the marriage practice between two women or two men. Even though this type of marriage has been continuously regulated by the law, customs, and religion, most countries all over the world have socially and legally responded in various ranges. For instance, in some countries, they have celebrated and accepted this type of marriage, while other countries are still criminalizing and discriminating same-sex marriages. In most cases, same-sex marriage issues spark both political and emotional clashes between the opponents and supporters. As the 21st century began, most countries had legalized same-sex marriages at both sub-national and national levels.  However, other jurisdictions had adopted constitutional measures to prevent the sanctioning or law enacting of same-sex marriages (McGoldrick 180). The fact that various groups differently evaluated similar acts shows how much of a social issue same-sex marriage is. The facts also indicate how much and how far cultural diversity among countries persisted. Same-sex marriage is a challenge to society and individuals as a whole. Same-sex marriages should be legalized and supported by the constitution of every country worldwide.

Same-sex marriages should be allowed worldwide, and those countries who are against it should think of the impacts their actions are having on their countries. The advantages of legalizing same-sex marriages outweigh the disadvantages of it. For instance, in Taiwan, same-sex marriages were legalized after a 14year old boy went through a tragic death. His peers constantly bullied him in school for his sexuality. The death of this young boy and many more unrecognized and unreported deaths can be prevented if not stopped if people accepted the LGBT group for who they are (Stack, 2016). The Taiwanese government realized what the LGBT group went through. Unfortunately, despite the death of the 14-year-old, and the outcry of the LGBT group, it took the government two years to change the government’s stance. Legalizing same-sex marriages help in the prevention of such occurrences.

Discrimination is the other problem that people of same-sex marriages undergo. Marriage is a beautiful thing between two people, and no one should face discrimination for marrying a person of their choice. In the United States, for a very long time, people have been fighting against racism. However, it has not been easy because there are no rules and regulations that firmly protect the rights of minorities and black people in the United States. The same applies to same-sex marriages (Charlton et al., 2018). If the government of every nation supported same-sex marriages, discrimination rates would go down. It is also important to note that, even after marriages, the LGBT groups still face discrimination. For example, many state officials often use their religious freedom to argue on denying various services to the LGBT people. In some places in the United States and worldwide, one can get fired for getting their same-sex marriage certificate because they are openly gay. It is not only wrong but also sad that a religious person can use their religion to deny people services, yet in the US, for example, a few years ago, we were fighting for religious rights.

Violence is another challenge that people of same-sex marriages go through. Violence is a big problem after discrimination, and it is something that can be controlled if same-sex marriage is legalized. Different anti-violence laws are set aside to protect this group of people. Most people still think that the LGBT people are of less importance and do not matter, making violence against this group okay. In 2015, 24 reported cases of motivated killings occurred because the individuals were of the LGBT group (Paterson et al., 215). Several of the victims were transgender, and they died because of who they were. The safety of same-sex couples is not guaranteed, and as much as they do not live in fear, they are not free enough to show public affection to their partner’s just heterosexuals. The only way to protect this group is to legalize same-sex marriages and draft laws that protect them against discrimination and violence. It is impossible for them to be themselves out in public or hanging out in clubs.

Lack of proper health care is another challenge the LGBT group faces. This problem can be easily solved by legalizing same-sex marriages. A visit to the doctor can be very challenging and discriminating against the LGBT group. They often, if not all the time, face hostility from doctors, and sometimes, there is a lack of understanding between the two. In addition to this, the LGBT group is more likely to be uninsured than the heterosexual group (Charlton et al., 2018). The LGBT group has, however, been encouraged to enrol in the Affordable Care Act insurance. The Affordable Care Act was the first law that equally protected every citizen against any discrimination. For instance, it made rules that protected LGBT from discrimination and promoted equality among everyone in healthcare. Having such laws are helpful to this group, and it protects them from so much that people do not know. Therefore, if same-sex marriages are legalized everywhere, it may promote the enactment of any such laws. We are all equal, and since the bigger population have the right to marry, same-sex marriages should be just as legal as heterosexual marriages (Jowett 285). In addition to this, if this type of marriage is legalized, there will be equality among us, and everyone will be protected.

However, many countries are coming to terms with same-sex marriages, but the opposition still comes out strongly in several other countries. Even within countries that have legalized same-sex marriages, there are groups of individual people or organizations who stand strongly against same-sex marriage. Because of the opposition expressed that almost supersedes the proposing side, same-sex marriage should not be legalized.  Sexual orientation or gender identity contributes a lot to practices of employment discrimination. There are known organizations that strictly do not employ people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity (Suriyasarn, 2016). Or rather, self-declared or publically recognized LGBT individuals may face discrimination at their workplaces from fellow workmates or even their bosses; this happens if they secure the job in the first place. Legalizing same-sex marriages will only worsen situations like these, leave alone increasing the rates of insecurity for this group of people. LGBT individuals report assaults from strangers now and then, for that matter, it would be better to keep silent. Legalizing it would bring the victims to the light more. Cases like that of the 14-year-old from Taiwan who was bullied because of his sexual orientation are likely to go up with it being labelled on their back of who they are. People need to understand that there are still very conservative people and will not tolerate any mannerisms that portray LGBT. Other parents are unable to handle the fact that their children turned out to be different. People may come to terms with this someday, but it sure will take a while.

Conclusion

For many, marriage is considered the key to happiness. Marriages take place across the universe, in every religion, in every social class, every ethnicity, every race, every region, everybody gets married. For this matter, being excluded from one of the defining rites of passage of life does not come out as fair to anyone. It would feel the same way if one informed you that you could not get married to the love of your life, simply because you are of the same gender or so. Far from the expression of love for each other in front of witnesses and the religious aspect of marriage, married people are exposed to benefits from the governments compared to the unmarried, and these are referred to as civil rights. However, the debate about same-sex marriages focuses on the aspect of expression. It is at this point that the argument of legalizing same-sex marriages comes in. For instance, should the state be concerned about the businesses of marriage past the civil union business point? If granting the marriage certificate expresses public approval for the wedding, why should the state be taking sides for some unions and not others?

Works Cited

Charlton, Brittany M., et al. “Sexual orientation-related disparities in employment, health insurance, healthcare access and health-related quality of life: a cohort study of US male and female adolescents and young adults.” BMJ open 8.6 (2018): e020418.

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/8/6/e020418.abstract

Jowett, Adam. “‘One can hardly call them homophobic’: Denials of antigay prejudice within the same-sex marriage debate.” Discourse & Society 28.3 (2017): 281-295.

McGoldrick, Dominic. “Challenging the constitutionality of restrictions on same-sex sexual relations: Lessons from India.” Human Rights Law Review 19.1 (2019): 173-185.

Paterson, Jenny L., Rupert Brown, and Mark A. Walters. “Feeling for and as a group member: Understanding LGBT victimization via group‐based empathy and intergroup emotions.” British Journal of Social Psychology 58.1 (2019): 211-224.0

Stack, Liam. “The Challenges That Remain For L.G.B.T. People After Marriage Ruling”. Nytimes.Com, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/us/the-challenges-that-remain-for-lgbt-people-after-marriage-ruling.html.

Suriyasarn, Busakorn. “Discrimination and marginalization of LGBT workers in Thailand.” Sexual orientation and transgender issues in organizations. Springer, Cham, 2016. 197-215.

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