Gay Marriage across the United States has been a controversy since the Stonewall Riots. The issue of it all has been primarily focused on whether or not it should be legal in all states. The fact that it is not legal is because of DOMA and Opponents claims against it. Homosexual couples deserve the same rights as hetero sexual couples and the accusations against them can be declared as weak. The DOMA, Defense of Marriage Act, is an unconstitutional document that should be repealed because it denies homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexual couples. DOMA is a document that was passed by Congress in 1996 and was signed later in the year by President Bill Clinton and proclaims the marriage is defined as between one man and one woman (Defense 5). Other major parts of the document include a ruling that other states do not have to recognize same-sex marriages that are were created in another state and gives heterosexual couples with rights/benefits such as: inclusion in family health insurance, the option to file taxes conjointly, Social Security benefits, and many more (Defense 5). DOMA altogether is a major wall in the gay rights movement, supporters argue that it is unconstitutional not only because of the 1,138+ benefits that homosexuals are denied, but the fact that it violates the Fifth Amendment by depriving them of liberty of a person and the pursuit of happiness. The fact that DOMA is unconstitutional is currently in the works of the Supreme Court debating whether or not it should be repealed and will most likely come to close by the end of June 2015 (Inc. 11). The path of legality of Gay Marriage is one that should have been resolved long ago and the accusations against it do not have very much support. Gay couples in America are set out for the main goal: To get married and have it viewed upon and treated the same way as every other marriage in the U.S., and as well have the same rights. Although there claim is that most do not wish for Tax breaks, equilibrium in job hunting, or rights that would be differed from what other people have- they just want to show their devotion for the one they love the same way as heterosexuals do (Gay 7). Opponents against the Gay Rights/Marriage movement claim three major things: The institution of marriage needs to be upheld, it is against God’s word and they will not be able to have a proper family which consists of a mother, a father and their offspring (Defense 7). To say the least, most of these are poor excuses on why gay marriage should not be legal. The institution of marriage is changing- when interracial marriage was brought up on whether or not it should be legal, the Supreme Court ruled it to be a violation of personal rights and struck down any laws against it (Gay 8)- so supporters argue if interracial marriage was legalized gay marriage can be too. As for stating that children raised by same-sex couples will not be raised properly without a mother and father has been proven to false both by studies and logic itself, as long as a child has love, care, and support of their parents the pairing either homo or heterosexual does not matter (Defense 9). Opponents that state that homosexuality is against God’s word however isn’t really a statement that one can argue because of the fact not everyone can be include in whether it is wrong or right. Homosexual couples deserve the same rights as everyone else in the U.S. and claims against them can be countered with proper reasoning. DOMA and allegations against homosexuality have proven to be damaging to the Gay Rights/Marriage movement, but both are slowly losing power as America’s favor is moving more towards gay marriage. As so the claim was made to show of the injustice of DOMA and its supporters and what is being done about them. Work Cited “Defense of Marriage Act.” Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 5 July 2011. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://icof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?ID=2127>. Freedom to Marry, Inc., and Freedom to Marry, Inc. "History and Timeline of the Freedom to Marry in the United States | Freedom to Marry." History and Timeline of the Freedom to Marry in the United States | Freedom to Marry. Freedom to Marry, 29 Apr. 2015. Web. 30 May 2015. "Gay Marriage ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines Web. 30 May 2015. “Gay Rights and Marriage.” Issues & Controversies. Infobase Learning, 29 July 2013. Web. 30 May 2015. <http://icof.infobaselearning.com/recordurl.aspx?ID=6339>.
