Gay Marriage Should Be Legal Essay -- Same-Sex Marriage Essays

As many minority groups in the United States have fought for their civil rights in past decades, it is the gay community that now finds itself striving for equal opportunities in our culturally diverse nation. Although they have already come a long way in the path of acceptance, most recently the gay community has had to confront extremist conservative groups who claim that allowing same-sex couples to join in a civilly recognized union violates the act of a traditional, sacred marriage. Gay and lesbian individuals feel that, like any other group, they should not be denied rights that are typically bestowed upon heterosexual couples who are recognized by the federal government. Certainly, there are states that have drafted and created protections for same-sex couples under civil unions and domestic partnership laws, however, the formation of such ordinances creates a separate and unequal status for some of America's citizens. As the precedent set by Brown V. The Board of Education exhibited in 1955, which pleaded a case for racial equality, the same theory of creating a separate but equal environment for groups of any nature has been proven to be unconstitutional. On June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that the US Constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry. Most Americans opposing the Supreme Court ruling allowing same-sex marriages belong to conservative, religious, or Republican groups. These opponents of homosexual equality fear that the allowance of same-sex marriages will lessen the validity of heterosexual marriages and make a mockery of the tradition that brings two loving souls together. Many argue that marriage is a sacred union between a man and a woman established for ... ...ago; those laws were overturned in 1967 and are now seen as absurd and discriminatory. Obviously, legalizing gay marriage in the United States will simplify the lives of same-sex couples and provide them with marriage benefits ranging from countless legal protections to rights allowing them to adopt, raise and share custody of children. Yes, civil unions and domestic partnership laws are leading the gay community in a positive direction as these laws are beneficiary to gay and lesbian couples. However, these protections are simply not representative of the American ideal that all men are created equal. DOMA restricts the recognition of gay and lesbian marriages or unions on a state-to-state level. If as citizens we truly are equal, then why aren't heterosexual marriages only recognized by the states that issue their marriage certificates?