Attitude To Same Sex Marriage

Same-sex Marriage Same-sex marriage is something that many people have a strong opinion about. From the essay “What’s Wrong with Gay Marriage? ” by Katha Pollitt, she states, “Gay marriage-it’s not about sex, its about the separation of church and state. ” (572) In the very beginning of this essay though, Pollitt asks, “Will someone please explain to me how permitting gays and lesbians to marry threatens the institution of marriage? ” (570) This concludes that Katha Pollitt obviously has the mind-set that same-sex marriage is acceptable and should be allowed, she does not see a problem with it.

Reading this essay, there are points that are important to understand. One being, that there are more often than not, people that are only getting married because there is a baby on the way or they have already had a child. (Pollitt 571) This being said, getting married is simply too easy for its own good. “An eighty year old can marry an eighteen year old; a john can marry a prostitute; two terminally ill patients can marry each other from their hospital beds. ” (Pollitt 572) This essay also states that the marriage of a man and women is “sacred”, and opening it to same-sex violates its sacral nature. Pollitt 572) This point right here is unacceptable in the eyes of many. One might even go into protest over such a statement. Marriage is wholly owned by the state, not wholly owned by religion. It is 1 Katz simply a separation of the church and the state. (Pollitt 572) Clearly Pollitt has a little something to say about same-sex marriage, stated in her very first sentence, “Will someone please explain to me how permitting gays and lesbians to marry threatens the institution of marriage? ” (570) Gay “Marriage”: Societal Suicide” by Charles Colson believes that marriage is not a private institution designed solely for the individual gratification of its participants. (578) The outlook on this essay is a little bit different than that of “What’s Wrong with Gay Marriage? ” Colson believes that children from broken homes are more likely to drop out of school, act up in school and have more social problems. (577) “Boys who grew up without fathers are at least twice as likely as other boys to end up in prison.

Sixty percent of rapists and 72% of adolescent murderers never knew or lived with their fathers…Girls raised without a father in the home are five times more likely to become mothers while still adolescences. ” (Colson 577) This is basically saying that it is more than likely for a child to grow up with psychological problems if they are missing their father figure in their lives than people raised with both parents present. “The family, led by a married mother and father, is the best available stricter for both child rearing and cultural health. (Colson 578) Colson truly believes that same-sex marriage cannot be done simply because of the fact that the children are not put into perspective in that situation. There have been situations where one divorces their spouse only to find out it is because they would rather a same-sex marriage. In this case, they may have already had children that grew up just fine. One may argue that the divorce of a children’s parents will have 2 Katz long term effects on them no matter what time in their life it happens, but Colson’s essay reassures that he believes otherwise.

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These two essays by Pollitt and Colson are very similar, first off simply because they are about same-sex marriage. Pollitt has a type of view that anybody can be married to each other with little effort put in. After Pollitt says that about it being too easy to get married she says that marriage between a man and woman is sacred and that means that if you are putting together two people of the same sex, it ruins the sacred factor. (Pollitt) On the other hand, there is Colson and he writes about how families cannot be built with out two people of opposite sexes.

Colson is completely for how people of the same sex should not get married. Having read both of the essays, one by Pollitt and the other Colson, there is definitely room for people’s opinions to sway, although they are not asking for that, rather just to get their opinions out there. Both of these authors have points that are against same-sex marriage, and they both have little reasons to be for it as well. (Pollitt/Colson) Now, there is nothing wrong with same-sex marriage, it is just the beliefs of the church or the state. Agreeing with it is all up to whomever decides.

The church would only not allow same-sex marriage if it is in that specific religion, but most religions it is not allowed to leave a family member out in the cold like that. The state has no other reason, other than trying to defend them selves in the fact that same-sex marriage should be allowed under all circumstances. There are people out there that have not even come out yet to their own families yet and some families are not open to this kind of news. People have been disowned from their own families in the past and there is a good chance 3 Katz it will happen in the future as well.

There definitely is a big portion of issues that come from the church and the state but when it comes down to it, same-sex marriage is between the two people involved. The statistics for the boys and girls growing up without a father are not believable, simply because some of the smartest, hard working kids around have only one parent and it usually is the mother. There is no “right way” to have a marriage but some may think so. Having a same-sex marriage is nothing unusual now a days but it will forever be an issue to many. Knowing what Pollitt and Colson think now, opinions can be formed on their own.

Those are just two options that people have the choice to believe, it’s all up to them. Considering that Pollitt and Colson have extremely strong opinions there is room to create another. A big concern for same-sex marriage is how the people going through it feel. Nothing would feel right if there was a rule against something someone could be so passionate about. That’s like giving up a true love over some rule that a state or church made up. The church or state cannot have anything to say if one lives with someone of the same sex, yet getting married is a whole different story.

Getting married is just the icing on the cake for most same sex marriages, people don’t just get married out of nowhere, obviously there will be a real reason. This being said, Colson and Pollitt have accurate opinions, but in the end the real reason people cannot be happy together as a same-sex marriage is because of the state and the church not allowing it. It should be between the two people involved, but everyone else in the world cannot help but get in the way of that. There are more people that are all for same-sex marriage than there are opposed, but it is always that one person Katz that stands out and says what they believe and this is what makes it a hassle for everybody. It would be interesting to know what the statistics are for how many people oppose this opinion rather than the statistics for how many children grow up as bad kids because of same-sex marriage, or what could happen if you do not grow up with a mother and father figure raising you. With children in concern, consider this, most same-sex marriages that do not already have children, will be the couple’s that adopt children.

There are far too many children in the world that need a new home and this is the perfect opportunity for them, no matter if they do not have a mother/father figure in the picture because anything is better than growing up homeless. This fact may not benefit others, but it is not hurting anybody either. 5 Katz Work Cited Pollitt, Katha. "What's Wrong With Gay Marriage. " Bedford Reader. 11th ed. Boston/ New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 1-728. Print. Colson, Charles. "Gay “Marriage”: Societal Suicide. " (n. d. ): n. pag. Rpt. in The Bedford Reader. 11th ed. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 1-726. Print. 6

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