Running Head: Gay Rights

GAY RIGHTS
Madison Donaldson
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

Running Head: Gay Rights

I know this is a touchy subject and there are many different opinions on this topic. But
this is something I feel strongly about. I would like to start off by sharing that I am straight, and I
am a Christian. Personally, I support gay rights (union of two people of the same gender).
Vermont was the first state to grant same sex marriage rights to same sex couples in 1999 and
Massachusetts became the first state to hand out same sex marriage certificates in 2003. Here are
three main reasons to support my decision.
My first reason being; Homosexuals (romantic or sexual attraction between two people of
the same gender) are causing no harm to anyone. . Opponents of same sex marriage believe
homosexuals have done something wrong to deny them the rights of marriage. This in my
opinion is not the case at all. I believe the theory that one does not choose to be gay or straight,
they are born that way. Growing up, I was always around gay people whether they were my
coaches or some of my teammates. They were always treated equal to everyone else in the gym
and were accepted by everyone. In the cheer world there is no such thing as a homophobe. In
todays society the American public is evenly split on the subject of gay rights. (RCCC online
research site). Most states have either not approved same sex marriage or have rejected it. Thirtyfive states now have laws prohibiting same sex marriage because people fear this could lead to
other kinds of deviance. Other issues arise such as raising a child adequately and gay couples are
often denied government benefits, such as social security payments, and to have their family
viewed as normal.
My second reason being; if gay marriage doesnt affect you, then theres no reason to get
so worked up over this topic. There have been countless occasions where I have witnessed
people acting in humane about gay marriage or just discriminating gay people in general. A

Running Head: Gay Rights

situation I remember just like it was yesterday was junior year in high school. I was sitting at a
table in chemistry with a few of my classmates. One of my guy friends, who happened to be
homo sexual walked into my class to deliver something to our teacher. Once he had left, my
classmates started making foul comments about him. Without second guessing myself, I
immediately stood up for him and gave them a piece of my mind.
Just like in the time of the civil rights movement (1955-1968) there were many people
who didnt like the idea of blacks and whites being integrated. There was a huge uproar, lasting
13 years and even until the civil rights movement was passed. It is said that history repeats itself,
and I feel like once gay marriage is passed and we are years down the road we will look back and
think about how ridiculous this controversy was. This is something our children and
grandchildren will be reading about in their textbooks. Whether people like it or not, the world is
constantly changing, and peoples view on society are very wide spread and theres nothing we
can do about it.
My final reason for supporting gay rights is that I believe everyone deserves to be happy.
No matter the race, gender, religion, or sexual preference everyone deserves to have equal rights.
Imagine not being able to marry your significant other, and constantly being frowned upon for
something that genuinely makes you happy. Even the Supreme Court ruled in 1978 that marriage
is of fundamental importance to all individuals and the most important relation in life. In
todays society most opposition comes from conservative Christians, who often site biblical facts
to justify their opinion, when Christians also read in the bible to love everyone. People may
not think homosexuality is right but that doesnt mean they should be treated different than
anyone else.

Running Head: Gay Rights

References
Curt Anderson, "Judge Won't Lift Fla. Keys Gay Marriage Stay," ap.org, July 21, 2014
http://gaymarriage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004857&utm_source=feed
burner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fproconrss+%28ProCon.org%29

Same-Sex Marriage: An Overview. By: Rich, Alex K., Wagner, Geraldine, Points of
View: Same Sex Marriage, 2014
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.rccc.edu/pov/detail/detail?sid=09ca5ee9-abf5-4f2d876686e2132b68eb%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=109&bdata=JnNpdGU9cG92LWxpdmU%3d#d
b=pwh&AN=23259475

Pro/Con: Gay Marriage: Same-sex marriage supporters protest the passage of Proposition
8 in front of San Francisco City Hall.
Source: Darryl Bush, www.ap.org, Nov. 15, 2008
http://gaymarriage.procon.org/