Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues - Same-sex Marriage is...

Same-sex Marriage is Inevitable For many parents, the marriage of their child is a very happy and proud time. Most parents expect their children to get married and have children. But what if their child is gay or lesbian? Their child may have met the perfect person to spend their life with, but their child cannot get legally married. Same-sex couples can hold wedding ceremonies, but the law does not recognize these unions. Many heterosexuals take for granted the benefits that are extended to their spouse by way of legal marriage. These benefits do not extend to homosexual couples, because there is not a law that recognizes same-sex marriage. Gay marriage is not legal because of state and federal laws, as well as the traditional†¦show more content†¦In order for a gay marriage law to be passed, the state would first have to repeal its sodomy law, or have it ruled unconstitutional. Hawaiis sodomy law was repealed through legislation action in 1973 (Bull 44), which helped open a window for a landmark case. In 1993, the case Baehr v. Lewin came before Hawaiis court system. It consisted of three couples, two lesbian couples, and one gay couple that sued the state of Hawaii to get the right to marry. The outcome of the case decreed that the practice of denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples was tantamount to sex discrimination under the Hawaii Constitution. (Foley 39) Furthermore, in December of 1996, a Hawaii circuit court judge found no compelling state interest in denying same-sex marriages. However, there is still no legal right to marry there, because Baehr v. Lewin is on appeal. (Kramer 1) There are also many federal laws that have been passed that prevent legal gay marriage. Most of these laws stem from the bill (H R 3396), the Defense of Marriage Act (DoMA), passed by the US House of Representatives in 1996. DoMA was drafted largely in response to the Baehr v. Lewin ruling. It contains two main points. The first item of significance in DoMA is that it sets forth official definitions of the words marriage and spouse. Marriage is officially now defined as a union between a man and a woman,Show MoreRelatedMarriage Equality For Same Sex Couples1480 Words   |  6 Pagesily Studies Interest Research Project Marriage Equality for Same-Sex Couples in Australia. Tiarne Milton Year 12, CAFS Mrs Stamoudis Table Of Contents Abstract/summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..3 Acknowledgments†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..5 Review of existing research†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Read MoreThe Impact Of Social Media On Our Society1301 Words   |  6 Pages(Show clips from Joey, Connor, Ingrid, Troye and Hannah’s coming out videos) (Black out) These people are highly respected by this, the social media generation. 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Opponents to same-sex marriage based solely on the use of the word â€Å"marriage† point out that â€Å"fromRead MoreLgbt Community : The United States And The World Of The 21st Century8181 Words   |  33 PagesAnnette Underwood Illustrated Images by google free domain pictures Copyright @ 2014 by SWB Publisher FIRST PUBLICATION EDITION SWB PUBLISHERS 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 INTRODUCTION Is the need for acceptance of one’s sexuality as important as other issues like poverty, unemployment, global warming, natural disasters and proper health solutions for Ebola, Lyme that put our survival itself at risk? When meditating on this question, let us also analyse our own sexual fabric. We set the standards of ourRead MoreThe Defense Of Marriage Act2038 Words   |  9 PagesHarrison Alley Richardson Honors Government April 20, 2015 Marriage is between a man and a woman. Or, at least, that is how The Defense of Marriage Act defines it. 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