Week 11: Same-sex marriage

Obama’s announcement of support for same-sex marriage, during the debates of Amendment One in North Carolina, which bans any which bans any domestic legal union such as civil unions and domestic partnerships and same-sex marriage in the state constitution, caused outrage from some religious groups. The Vatican urged American Bishops, “not to back down in the face of powerful political and cultural currents seeking to alter the legal definition of marriage” (Drouin-Keith, 2012). Other Christian denominations in South America, and parts of Asia denounced Obama’s announcement due to marriage being for the purpose of procreation. Currently, same-sex marriage is only legal throughout the entire nation in eight countries: Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden and Portugal. For many gay-rights activists same-sex marriage is not even on the agenda, instead the activists are attempting to not have their governments condemn homosexuals. For example, in China sodomy was illegal until 1997 and homosexuality was considered a mental illness until 2001 and now the Chinese government simply acts like homosexuality is nonexistent (Drouin-Keith). In my opinion, the government should not have the right to interfere with one’s personal relationships, as former Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau once said, “there’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.” Also, religion at least in secular countries should not be able to dictate the legal rights of a country.  This lack of equality for homosexuals is equivalent to the struggles of the past with interfaith or interracial marriages. It is my hope and belief that in forty years (or less) that at least in western societies we will look upon the condemnation and the lack of equality for homosexuals as a thing of the past. 

Source:  Source:

Drouin-Keith, Leon. “Gay Marriage a Distant Dream for Most.” The Gazette [Montreal] 11 May 2012. http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/marriage+distant+dream+most/6604175/story.html

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