My Attitude to Same Sex Marriage

I feel that same sex marriages should be allowed because the relationship is of two loving people. How does the relationship truly differ from a relationship involving a man and a woman? Anna Quindlen expresses her feelings about same sex marriages in her essay "Evan's Two Moms." Her basic argument in the essay is that there is a problem that gays and lesbians face when it comes to marriage. They are not being treated equally and they feel like they are not accepted. She argues that they should be treated equally and they should have the same rights that a man and a woman have when it comes to marriage. The typical example of marriage is two people living together; sharing household and living expenses, the only thing different is that they are of the same sex.

I understand and agree with Quindlen's argument about same sex marriage. Marriage is about compassion and love for one another; two people who fall in love and want to spend the rest of their lives with each other. Who are we as a society to judge the feelings of an individual? People who are gay or lesbian have it hard enough in the real world when it comes to socializing or involving themselves in any activities. "After years of being sledge-hammered by society, some gay men and lesbian women are deeply suspicious of participating in any institution that seems to have "straight world" written all over it" (Quindlen, 410). That does not seem right to me. No one should feel uncomfortable about who they are.

Quindlen states a few examples of situations people were forced to face because they had a gay or lesbian relationship. One example involves a lawyer who was planning to get married to her lesbian lover and after the state attorney general found out she was fired from her job. Another example involves a couple who wanted to participate at the Y with their children; after the workers realized that the couple was two women they were turned down and could not join. I feel that that is wrong for people to get fired or not be able to participate in activities with their children just because they are with a partner of the same sex. A big reason why some people or most people have a negative outlook about same sex marriage is because of religion. Many Americans refer to the Bible when it comes to marriage. Quindlen says that "The results were court decisions that quoted the Bible and embraced circular argument: marriage is by definition the union of a man and a woman because that is how we've defined it" (Quindlen, 411). She also explains in her essay that today it is religious organizations that are allowing gay people to marry; how ironic is that.

I think that same sex marriage should be allowed and sooner or later it will be. In her essay she does say that if a same sex couple wants to commit to a relationship now, while it is still prohibited, there are a few complications. They cannot join their tax returns nor have health coverage for a partner who is uninsured. If a couple splits, they can't receive child support money from the other partner. That may all change someday because the world is becoming more and more gay-friendly these days. People are more open about themselves. Same sex relationships are shown more in advertisements on television, in movies and even on radio stations. Quindlen offers a good example, stating that twenty-five years ago it was illegal for a black person to be married to a white person. "Perhaps twenty-five years from now we will find it just as incredible that two people of the same sex were not entitled to legally commit themselves to each other" (Quindlen, 411). Why should people have a problem with same sex relationships? It is not their feelings or their lives so why be concerned with it. If same sex couples love each other and want to spend their lives together, what harm is that really doing to people? "Love and commitment are rare enough; it seems absurd to thwart them in any guise" (Quindlen, 411).