Coming Home Essay -- Homosexuality

Marriage: n. The uniting of a man and woman as husband and wife (Webster’s Standard Dictionary 178). Up until the 1970‘s, homosexuals were highly looked down upon and could not come out about their sexual feelings for fear of undergoing abuse socially. Presently, same-sex marriage has caused the unity of two people to become a far more complicated, constitutionally and politically questioned issue than once imagined. Same-Sex Marriage: A Brief Background If marriage is defined as the union of a man and a woman, then it becomes severely difficult for a man and another man to marry, or two women. The first state to allow same-sex marriage, Massachusetts, had a large impact on homosexuals in America. Since 2003, a multifold of gay couples have taken the opportunity to legally wed in this unique state (Friedman). Currently, many states are being fought over between supporters and opposers of same-sex marriage; the key states are New Hampshire, Iowa, North Carolina, Minnesota, West Virginia, Indiana and Pennsylvania (Gallagher). The support and opposal of same-sex marriage has drastically changed in the past decade. Seven or eight years ago American opinion polls display that the people opposed gay marriage by a 2-1 margin (Klarman). Furthermore, another poll taken in April 2005 told differently; according to a CNN/USA Today, Gallup poll, 68% of Americans felt that same-sex marriage should not be recognized as valid; 28% felt they should be valid, and 4% had no opinion. However, current opinion polls have presented that a slender majority of Americans support gay marriage (Klarman). Beside the fact that not everyone supports same-sex marriage, more homosexuals have come out to the people in their lives. â€Å"The number of Americans ... ...Gay Marriage, Empathy Is A Two- Way Street.† Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX). 10 Nov 2009: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Friedman, Laurie S.. Gay Marriage: An Opposing Viewpoints Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Gallagher, Maggie. â€Å"Gay Marriage: New York’s GOP Let’s Down the Base.† Wall Street Journal. 30 Jun 2011: A. 15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Jacobs, Deborah. "It's time to stop fighting about same-sex marriage." Forbes.com. N.p., 2011. Web. 27 Apr 2012. . Klarman, Michael. â€Å"Why Gay Marriage Is Inevitable.† Los Angeles Times. 12 Feb 2012: A. 27. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Apr 2012. Olson, Walter. â€Å"Gay Marriage: An Amen for Albany.† Wall Street Journal. 30 Jun 2011: A. 15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Coming Home Essay -- Homosexuality Marriage: n. The uniting of a man and woman as husband and wife (Webster’s Standard Dictionary 178). Up until the 1970‘s, homosexuals were highly looked down upon and could not come out about their sexual feelings for fear of undergoing abuse socially. Presently, same-sex marriage has caused the unity of two people to become a far more complicated, constitutionally and politically questioned issue than once imagined. Same-Sex Marriage: A Brief Background If marriage is defined as the union of a man and a woman, then it becomes severely difficult for a man and another man to marry, or two women. The first state to allow same-sex marriage, Massachusetts, had a large impact on homosexuals in America. Since 2003, a multifold of gay couples have taken the opportunity to legally wed in this unique state (Friedman). Currently, many states are being fought over between supporters and opposers of same-sex marriage; the key states are New Hampshire, Iowa, North Carolina, Minnesota, West Virginia, Indiana and Pennsylvania (Gallagher). The support and opposal of same-sex marriage has drastically changed in the past decade. Seven or eight years ago American opinion polls display that the people opposed gay marriage by a 2-1 margin (Klarman). Furthermore, another poll taken in April 2005 told differently; according to a CNN/USA Today, Gallup poll, 68% of Americans felt that same-sex marriage should not be recognized as valid; 28% felt they should be valid, and 4% had no opinion. However, current opinion polls have presented that a slender majority of Americans support gay marriage (Klarman). Beside the fact that not everyone supports same-sex marriage, more homosexuals have come out to the people in their lives. â€Å"The number of Americans ... ...Gay Marriage, Empathy Is A Two- Way Street.† Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX). 10 Nov 2009: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Friedman, Laurie S.. Gay Marriage: An Opposing Viewpoints Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Gallagher, Maggie. â€Å"Gay Marriage: New York’s GOP Let’s Down the Base.† Wall Street Journal. 30 Jun 2011: A. 15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Jacobs, Deborah. "It's time to stop fighting about same-sex marriage." Forbes.com. N.p., 2011. Web. 27 Apr 2012. . Klarman, Michael. â€Å"Why Gay Marriage Is Inevitable.† Los Angeles Times. 12 Feb 2012: A. 27. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Apr 2012. Olson, Walter. â€Å"Gay Marriage: An Amen for Albany.† Wall Street Journal. 30 Jun 2011: A. 15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012.