1172635

Mr. LaRoche
English III
8 January 2014
Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage
At some point in our lifetime, gay marriage won't be an issue, and everyone who stood
against this civil right will look as outdated as George Wallace standing on the school steps
keeping James Hood from entering the University of Alabama because he was black. (George
Clooney). A quote like this makes an outstanding point in the Constitutional argument of gay
rights and marriages considering the fact that there have been many other issues in the United
States that people have forgotten about. Marbury vs. Madison, Plessy vs. Ferguson, and Brown
vs. Board of Education have all once been serious controversial Supreme Court cases. Over two
hundred years later, the majority of people do not remember these were ever an issue. All people
remember is those cases got resolved. The people of America can only hope this is the case for
gay marriage. The legalization of same sex marriage would be a great thing because it
finally gives people the chance to be equal, brings financial gain to states that legalize it,
and challenges people as a whole to treat others as their egalitarian.
Almost every year states ban, legalize, or review laws pertaining to same sex marriage.
Thirty-two states, including the District of Columbia, have already made it legal for gay and
lesbian couples to unite under holy matrimony. This is a huge step in the right direction for all 50
states gaining the same right. Massachusetts, being the first to legalize it in 2004, started a chain
reaction of other states allowing gays and lesbians to be together.

From colonial times until now, equality has always been a controversial topic in America.
In the beginning years of the 1970s, same sex marriage had just publicly begun to flourish in the
minds of government officials and hopeful couples. One of the three cases submitted to the
Supreme Court in the 1970s, was Baker vs. Nelson. The Supreme Court ultimately decided to
dismiss the case; and the Hennepin County District Court denied the anxious couple their
marriage license. Less than a year later, the first state to pass a law banning the unity of same sex
couples was Maryland. Little does society know, people have been fighting for equality for a
veritable amount of time.
Some say that homosexual couples should not be allowed to have the same rights as
heterosexual couples. To other people, that can be seen as discrimination. To say that a certain
group of people should not get married is like saying a certain group of kids do not deserve an
education or a certain race does not have the right to be in America. America knows too well
what discrimination feels like to still be doing it. For over 200 years, the United States was the
patriarch of slavery, the epitome of inequity, the grandfather of bigotry. With a history like that,
one might think same sex marriage will take hundreds of years to be legalized.
Thirty-two states and counting have already legalized it since 2004. Only ten years for more
than half of the fifty states to recognize the equality of homosexual couples.
In regards to homosexuals taking everyones money, the revenue from selling marriage
licenses would be money in the bank to those states that legalize it. A study found that if New
York was to legalize same sex marriage, the money would bring $142 million to the citys
economy and $184 million to the state over three years time. The CBO or the Congressional
Budget Office found that if same sex marriage were to be legalized in all fifty states and if the
federal government acknowledged it; then it would bring a total of one billion dollars to the

economy every year for the next ten years. The CBO also found that tax revenues may increase
from five hundred million to seven hundred million from 2011 to 2014 annually. Overall,
legalizing same sex marriage would impact the financial world in a tremendous way.
This is an earthquake issue. This will change our state forever. Because the immediate
consequence, if gay marriage goes through, is that K-12 little children will be forced to learn that
homosexuality is normal, natural, and perhaps they should try it. (Michele Bachmann).
Understandingly, many politicians are against same sex marriage. As a lot of people think,
politicians would not get elected if they were openly for gay marriage. To say something like that
can be viewed as unquestionably outrageous and uneducated. In the twenty first century, schools
do not typically teach and talk about marriage. Let alone gay marriage. Public schools generally
do not promote marriage equality or heterosexual marriage period. The only equality schools
teach about is slavery and the amendments that uphold the civil right. Living in the twenty first
century, the main thing kids will be subjected to is the promotion of gang violence, police
brutality, drug abuse and the importance of making money in the songs they submit themselves
to and the social media that seems to be capturing the attention of the teens these days.
Gay marriage is just now making its big debut to the public this millennium. Yes, it was
brought up in the late 1900s, but nobody really started to talk about it until 2004 when
Massachusetts legalized it. Legalizing gay marriage in all fifty states would be a great challenge
to all citizens of the United States, because it would potentially change their minds of
homosexuals and homosexual couples. Moreover, it would make them contemplate and change
their mindset and stop thinking of homosexuals as homosexuals but rather as human beings
and citizens of America just like them.

Homophobia has been a big issue. Not just in America, but all over the world.
Homophobia is defined as "unreasoning fear of or antipathy toward homosexuals and
homosexuality". As ridiculous as that may sound, that is a real thing. Being afraid of
psychopaths, serial killers and even spiders is more understandable than being afraid of
homosexuals or the art of it. Sometimes people are threatened by gays and lesbians because
they are fearing their own impulses, in a sense they 'doth protest too much'" (Richard Ryan).
Agreeably, some people may not even notice that they are doing that. People find themselves
trying to prove their homophobia so hard that they do the exact opposite. Like how drunken
people try to prove to the police that they are not drunk, so they do any and everything to
convince them; but instead just tell on them self. Now, some people may truly be homophobes,
but many studies have determined that it was just a cover up.

Same Love", a song by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert, came out
in early 2012. A song scrutinized for its anti-conservative views but praised for its pro-gay
beliefs, hits home for many gay rights advocates and homosexuals alike. With lyrics like I cant
change, even if I tried, even if I wanted to... reiterates the saying of I was born this way or I
did not choose this lifestyle. Many people ask, how can someone be born gay? Someone can be
born gay just that plainly. Sex in the City star, Cynthia Nixon tells New York Times, And they
tried to get me to change it, because they said it implies homosexuality can be a choice. And for
me, it is a choice. The And part referring to when Nixon gay a speech to a gay audience
stating: Ive been straight and I've been gay, and gay is better. Gays everywhere felt hurt and
by Nixons comment. Some people thought it was the perfect opportunity to use her quote when
they want to deny gays their civil rights. Two years later no one is really talking about Nixons
quote but it still had a lasting impact on the gay society.

This graph plainly shows , the percentage of states that allow gay marriage and states that
do not. States that allow are significantly higher compared to the states that do not. Numbers
wise, 35 states granted the civil right to same sex couples. Only 15 states have not come to the
realization that they need to jump on the bandwagon and legalize same sex marriage too.
Legalizing same sex marriage would not only bring together the country of America as a
whole, it would change humanity as the people know it. Way back in the day, if someone was a
homosexual then they would get killed or even sent to prison. In June of 2013, Vladimir Putin,
president of Russia passed a law saying you can not engage in any "gay activities". Otherwise
known as the " Anti-Gay propaganda" bill. People are the other side of the world blew up with
rage. Some even threatened to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympics and put bans on Russian
vodka. Despite all of the efforts the people put towards this anti-gay law, Putin put his bill into
full force and made everyone there follow the law with no questions asked.
Russia is not the only country that feels this way about gays though. The discrimination
started back in 1789, when one hundred and twenty six countries had laws in some way banning
homosexuality. Now in 2014, somewhat of seventy-nine countries have laws declare it illegal to
be a homosexual in that specific country. To literally have a law saying you can not be gay or
engage in homosexual activities is on another level of discrimination. For people to stand there
and not try or give up on trying when times get rough, is beyond comprehension. Hopefully by a
year or so, more countries will retract their laws and gays can openly be happy to live wherever
their heart desires. The people of those unions can only hope.he unions can only hope their
country recognizes their needs.
Furthermore, the legalization of same sex marriage would be a great thing because it
finally gives people the chance to be equal, brings financial gain to states that legalize it, and

challenges people as a whole to treat others as their egalitarian. After quotes ,expressions ,and
opinions, the people who read this and the people this paper effects, will forever change their
mind on gays and homosexuals as a whole and the equality they all deserve. Going back over
two hundred years ago,blacks fought for the same equality gays are fighting for today. The only
exception is that African Americans were whipped and beaten to death by their owners. One
could say that gays and lesbians can relate to that and are fighting the same battle. By the end of
the year of 2015 or even sooner, the gay rights advocates can only hope one hundred percent of
the fifty states joined together in the union people call the United States of America have all
recognized the right for everyone to marry the love of their life with no laws restricting them.

Works Cited
Witchel, Alex. "Life After Sex." The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 Jan.
2012. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Bryner, Jeanna. "Study: Homophobes May Be Hidden Homosexuals."LiveScience.
TechMedia Network, 09 Apr. 2012. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
"George Clooney." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014
Wong, Curtis M. "Cynthia Nixon On Being Gay: 'For Me It's A Choice'" The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.