The Argument For Gay Marriage Argumentative Essay Example

One of the most contentious issues in the United States today is the issue of gay marriage. Many people have strong opinions on this issue, and of course it is a very personal issue, particularly for people who are gay or who have gay people in their lives. In general, the argument over homosexual marriage—colloquially “gay” marriage—is split down political lines. People who tend to be liberal lean towards allowing gay people marriage rights, while people who tend towards the conservative side tend to prefer marriage to be kept between a man and a woman. However, there are very few good arguments that can be given that support banning gay marriage outright in American society, due to the ways in which American society is constructed politically.
One of the most common arguments against gay marriage is that American society is built on Christian morals, and that Christianity is not supportive of gay marriage. However, even setting aside the religious argument, it does not matter whether Christianity is supportive of gay marriage or not—the United States is not, in fact, a Christian nation, nor is it a nation built upon Christian morals. The United States is founded primarily on the idea that everyone within the Unites States can practice their own religion in their own way. Religious freedom is one of the fundamental tenets of the United States, and therefore every argument from religion in terms of legality cannot be considered as legitimate when considering the legality of gay marriage.
There was a time when a majority of the United States believed that black people and white people should not be allowed to be married. During the time when anti-miscegenation laws were in place, it was illegal for a black and a white person to get married. Today, in most places in the United States, this seems ridiculous; even if people do not believe that black and white people should get married, they commonly do not believe that the government should have any say in the legality of the issue. It seems likely that, in the future, people will look back on this era with a similar mindset, considering the anti-gay marriage laws of this time period backwards and bigoted.
If gay people were allowed to be married, they would gain significant economic benefits as a result. The marriage industry is one that is very significant in the United States, and if gay people were allowed to get married, they would be putting a lot of money into an industry that is already very large. They would also be afforded more tax breaks and better protections under the law if their partner were to become ill.
Another issue that is commonly raised is the issue of children. There is some discussion about whether or not gay people should be allowed to adopt children, and this is commonly associated with the discussion around gay marriage, because marriage and children are sometimes a package deal. There is nothing stopping gay people from adopting children now; even today, there are many gay couples that have adopted children outside of wedlock. Allowing gay couples to marry would provide the children of these individuals extra protections under the law, especially if one parent becomes ill, gets injured, or dies.
One of the most commonly-cited reasons for disallowing gay marriage is the so-called “slippery slope” argument. This argument states that if the American government were to allow gay people to get married, there would be nothing stopping people from marrying children, animals, or multiple adults; this is, of course, an argument of absurdity. There is absolutely no proof in any of the multitude of cultures around the world that allow gay marriage that gay marriage has any link to pedophilia or bestiality; instead, this is a scare tactic that is used to influence people into making a decision based on an emotional reaction rather than the logical, rational conclusion. It is ridiculous to conflate pedophilia, bestiality, and polygamy with the actions of two consenting adults. To do so is to cheapen the argument, and the slippery slope argument holds absolutely no weight because of its heavy reliance on straw men.
The main argument against gay marriage comes from religion, and it is born out of bigotry. To make an attempt at legislating an opinion is something that should be heavily frowned upon in the United States; the United States should be about protecting everyone’s freedoms, not just the majority. There is no threat to heterosexual marriage if the government were to allow gay people to get married. There would not be less marriage to go around, nor would gay people’s marriages interfere with the ability of consenting heterosexual adults to get married. Recognizing the arguments against gay marriage for what they are—bigotry—is the first step towards a better, happier, more equal United States of America.