Gay marriage in the United States

¶ … Same Sex Marriage

There are several states in the U.S. that have made same sex marriage a legal institution and yet the majority of states and political leaders in those states and at a national level remain opposed to having same sex couples exchange legal wedding vows. This issue has worthwhile points expressed on both sides, and sincere and thoughtful people have raised the key issues in the media and elsewhere. This paper will address both sides of the issue, balancing the opinions that have been expressed with fairness.

Opposition and Support for Same Sex Marriage

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has taken the position that those advocating same sex marriage have offered "no studies" or concrete information about what same sex marriage "…would do to the moral ecology of the country" or what same sex marriage "would do to religious liberty, what it would do to the mental and physical health of children -- nothing" (Pewforum.org). In his interview with the Pew Forum, Santorum, a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania, said that society should do "what is best for children…we know, is a mother and a father who are the parents of that child… [and] what you're talking about with same-sex marriage is completely deconstructing marriage and taking away a privilege that is given to two people, a man and a woman…" (Pewforum.org).

Meanwhile, Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, supports the right of same sex couples to get married. He called those in public office that oppose same sex marriage "obstructionists," and said, "On matters of freedom and equality, history has not remembered obstructionists kindly. Not on abolition. Not on women's suffrage. Not on worker's rights. Not on civil rights. And it will be no different on marriage rights."

Bloomberg said that conservatives believe "…government should not stand in the way of free markets and private associations -- including contracts between consenting parties." And that is "…exactly what marriage is," Bloomberg continued.

Some members of the clergy have taken up opposition to same sex marriage by using the Bible as a source for their viewpoints. Noted television pastor Rick Warren (who pastors the Saddleback Church) says that the Bible "…is very clear that sex is for a man and a woman in marriage only… I serve a higher power, Jesus Christ…and I do believe what Jesus says about the Bible -- and he says Bible is the word of God. Well, if the Bible is the word of God…why would you expect a Christian pastor to believe anything else?" (ABC News). He was reminded that candidate Barack Obama told him prior to the election that he (Obama) opposed same sex marriage. The ABC interviewer (Jake Tapper) asked Warren if he is concerned that Obama might change his position. "I can't control what other people believe. I just know what the Bible says," he answered.

In author David E. Newton's book, Same-Sex Marriage: A Reference Handbook, the author points out that while many who oppose same-sex marriage based on the Bible, there are references in the Bible that mention "other types of marriage" (Newton, 2010, 35). Of the eight types of marriage, this paper will mention several. Jacob had two wives, Leah and Rachel (Genesis 29: 1030); Esau had three wives in the Bible, Adah, Aholibamah, and Bashemath (Genesis 36: 2-3). In Genesis 16: 2-3, the marriage between a man, his legal wife, and a slave was sanctioned. In fact, according to Newton, Jesus said "very little or nothing about marriage, and nothing at all about same-sex relationships" (Newton, 36).