Gay Marriage and Adoption Should Be Accepted as a Social Norm

Most American’s in today’s world have been exposed to homosexuality in one form or another. They may have directly seen a gay or lesbian couple, or have simply heard about them on the news or social media. Gay marriage is nothing uncommon in this generation, yet there are still many people who disagree wholeheartedly with this concept. Gay marriage should be accepted as a social norm because everyone deserves to marry the one they love and have a happy, fulfilling life, gay couples adopt many orphaned children, and separation of church and state makes gay marriage unrelated to what the bible says about homosexuality.

Some arguments against gay marriage are just blatant homophobia, and foolishness. These select people are usually closed minded, or despise anyone that is different from what they are used to. Others believe that the legalization of gay marriage will lead to other illegal relationships such as polygamy, bestiality, and pedophilia, which is most definitely not the case. In no way, shape, or form is gay marriage on the same level as polygamy, bestiality, or pedophilia. Polygamy is more than two people, which does not create a marriage. Bestiality includes an animal, which is generally preposterous, and the animal cannot consent to such activities. Pedophilia will never be legalized; minors cannot give consent to marriage without the parent’s permission. These same sex couples are not harming anyone, nor harming society, they deserve to be happily married without discrimination from others.

In the United States, there are 397,122 children whom are in the foster care system without permanent families. Same sex couples do adopt, and can make an exponential change to this number. Whether the child has two mothers, two fathers, or one father and one mother, they are taken out of the foster care system and given a loving home. These same sex couples have money to support a child, or even children, and should be given the chance to do so. A child being raised by same sex parents does not increase the chances of homosexuality; a child raised by gay parents can turn out gay or straight.

The bible does speak of homosexuality, and does condemn it as a sin seen in Leviticus 18:22, "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination." Religious figures believe that homosexuals are trying to redefine marriage, which is not the case. All they want is to be able to marry whom they love without being seen as a sinner and an abomination. Traditional marriage according to these figures may be between a man and a woman, but a church’s beliefs have no right to decide who can or cannot marry whom. The constitution states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This excerpt makes it most apparent that a church or religious figures have no business in stating same sex marriage should be illegal.

The discrimination against homosexuals will hopefully discontinue soon, as they are only people just like everyone else, looking to marry whom they love. They are humans, and they bleed blood just like everyone else. They desire the same rights as straight couples to be married, they adopt orphaned children and give them a loving home, and religious beliefs do not dictate what is and is not wrong when it comes to marriage. One day the world will open their minds and their hearts to these people, who want to be happy like every one else. As the Declaration of Independence states; “..that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”