Marriage: The Right of All
Tram Huynh
What's the problem?
People in the LGBT community often face discrimination, inequality, and violence just because of who they love and what they identified as. Even though same-sex marriage is now legal in the United States, many states and people argue that a marriage should be strictly between a man and a woman. People in the LGBT community are still afraid and they're seeking for acceptance and the same rights as heterosexual marriage.
There's many controversies surrounding the subject of gay marriage.
- Genetic vs Environmental influences : Some people argue that homosexuality is irreversible and comes from their lifestyle or childhood (i.e. child-parent relationship, sexual assault etc...)
- "Traditional Marriage" : When people think of marriage, they visualize an image of a man and woman. It has always been that way. The idea of same-sex marriage conflicts with that image, but it's time to change the concept of a "traditional marriage".
- Is it a civil right? : In 1967, the US Supreme Court confirmed that marriage is "one of the basic civil rights of man" ( Loving v. Virginia). Marriage should available for everyone. Others argue that homosexuality is immoral, unnatural, and goes against the holiness of marriage.
The Ongoing Fight
Hillary Clinton's Plan (+ Democrats in Congress)
- Pass the Equality Act : she wants to protect LGBT people from discrimination
- Help gay couple who wants to adopt : make it easier and make sure that adoption agencies don't discriminate against them
- Increase investment in Global Equality Fund (a program that supports programs advocating for the human rights of LGBT members around the world)
Almost all the Democrats in Congress support same-sex marriage. They plan to fight so that gay couples can have the same rights as straight couples. They support freedom of churches, and whether they want to administer marriage as a religious sacrament without government interference.
"LGBT Americans are our colleagues, our teachers, our soldiers, our friends and our loved ones, and they are full and equal citizens and deserve the rights of citizenship." -H.C.
"I live in New York. New York is a place with lots of gays and I think it’s great, but I’m not in favor of gay marriage." -D.T.
Donald Trump's Plan ( +Republicans in Congress)
The Republicans in Congress plan to let the states decide on the legalization of gay marriage for themselves. Many Republicans still disapprove of the Supreme Court's decision. They, like Trump, believe in traditional marriages, but support of same-sex marriage is slowly increasing. For example, Senator Rob Portman reversed his anti-gay marriage stance after his son came out. Many Republicans are now changing their minds and expressing support for gay marriage. But will they actually fix the issues?
Other Candidates' Stance
- Believes that the government has no business choosing who should be allowed the benefits of marriage and who does not
Jill Stein : "We should all stand in solidarity, love and support with members of the LGBTQ community."
- Supports gay marriage
- Wants to protect LGBT people from discrimination
Which side will you support?
Organizations that support same-sex marriage
- Human Rights Campaign
- Freedom to Marry : their goal is to win marriage equality for same sex couples worldwide
- Marriage Equality USA : the nation’s oldest organization dedicated to building equality for the LGBT community
- Courage Campaign
Organizations that are anti-gay marriage
- Westboro Baptist Church : it is considered a hate group that protest against gay marriage and homosexuality
- National Organization for Marriage : organized group founded in 2007 that opposes to same-sex marriage
What I think...
Marriage is considered a civil right, and everyone should be free to marry who they love. Same-sex marriage will benefit everyone. The LGBT community will be able to get more rights and be treated the same as everyone else. Also, same-sex marriage will increase the chances for thousands of foster children to gain loving parents and families. Sadly, some adoption agencies do discriminate against gay couples and make it incredibly difficult for them to adopt children, so I believe that we should pass a law so that every gay couples can adopt a child if they want to. I fully support same-sex marriage and believe it's a basic, human right.