Wednesday, October 7, 1998
Same-sex couples should have equal recognition
MARRIAGE: Society must move past irrational fear of homosexual
relations
By Hiyas Magilligan
Why do certain people feel that same-sex marriage should remain
unrecognized?
What harm do they think recognizing same-sex marriage would
bring to their way of life? What threat do they think our love
would pose to them? All relationships between consenting adults
should be conferred the same legal respect.
Every individual should have the right to love the person she or
he chooses to love regardless of race, gender or sexual
orientation. We are entitled to the right to marry and thereby
benefit from the same laws that are granted to heterosexual
couples. If Senator Pete Knight’s California Defense of Marriage
Act succeeds in denying recognition of homosexual marriage, our
civil rights (without which we are no more than second-class
citizens in a so-called democratic nation) would be abridged.
Why is there opposition to same-sex marriage? One of the most
obvious reasons is economics. If a typical heterosexual couple were
to get married, the state would bless their marriage generously.
They would be able to file a joint tax return and hence pay lower
taxes. They would be allowed various government benefits as well
under Social Security inheritance and subpoena laws. Also, a
foreign spouse could attain residency in the United States through
marriage to an American citizen. Why then should we give gay
couples a share in all of these goodies?
Perhaps because gay people pay taxes, too. Our taxes support
these benefits for heterosexual married couples. Denying gay
couples the right to marry prevents us from enjoying the many
advantages that should be at our discretion.
Health benefits and insurance that companies provide for their
employees as well as their spouses is another aspect which affects
the issue of legalizing same-sex marriages. For instance, a person
is granted paid leave in the event of a spouse’s or distant
relative’s death. Yet, if the employer discovered that the deceased
was the employee’s lover, she or he would have the option to refuse
this allowance.
Gertrude and Alice, a lesbian couple, had been together for 13
years. Alice passed away, but Gertrude’s employer refused to grant
her paid bereavement because Alice was not a legally recognized
family member. But if Bob, Gertrude’s uncle, whom she’d only had
the opportunity to visit five times in the past decade, were to
have passed away, she would have every right to be given the paid
bereavement.
Who has the right to determine the validity of a relationship
between two individuals? If same-sex marriage is not legalized,
this unjust situation will perpetuate.
The family structure in the United States has long been
associated with the patriarchy that exists in most of the world
today. Gay marriage threatens to disrupt this model (which has long
been held as the ideal) by replacing the traditional "husband and
wife" roles.
For people who deem same-sex marriage as a blasphemy against
organized religion, let them reconsider their initial stance in
judging love for another human being, regardless of sex or gender,
as a sin. If religion advocates peace, love and acceptance for all
human beings, this tolerance should be extended to same-sex couples
as well.
Essentially, marriage is a sacred union between two people who
love each other. By denying same-sex couples the right to marry one
another, these relationships are stripped of the dignity and value
that is associated implicitly with a heterosexual relationship.
This is by no means an attempt to influence or convince anyone
to believe that marriage is necessary in recognizing a
relationship. Merely, we are stressing that marriage should be an
option to any couple who feels that matrimony is the ultimate
expression of their commitment and dedication to one another.
People need to investigate their own motives behind their fear
of allowing homosexuals to marry. Internalized homophobia could
very much be the prime factor responsible for the oppression of gay
people.
With all the issues confronting the world today, it’s a pity
that some people are still hung up on allowing gays the right to
get married, when we should all be in unison, striving toward a
better future.
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