Solutions to Marriage Debate the Marriage Debate

¶ … Solutions to Marriage Debate

The marriage debate is a polarizing debate regarding, most people assume, whether gay individuals should have the right to marriage or not. On the homosexual side, it is important to be afforded the same rights as married couples both because they wish to enjoy the same benefits accorded those who are married and because the status of married carries with it different connotations. The opposite opinion is marked by individuals who do not want homosexual couples to use the term "married" because it is a union endorsed in the Bible and would be sullied if people that these individuals believe are in active sin were able to claim that they were married. It is a difficult questions and one that has been debated in public places, the media and by politicians. This paper looks at two journal articles with contrasting views that may not offer a solution to the problem, but they do seek to add to the research that has already been done.

Brumbaugh, Sanchez, Nock and Wright evaluated the attitudes individuals in states that were either going to have the marital law change or had a question regarding the practice on the ballot. The survey they delivered asked individuals about their attitudes toward gay marriage and tried to determine what groups were most favorable and which were most opposed. The authors discovered five primary findings which were:

gender, race, and age are strong determinants of attitudes toward gay marriage no enduring effects of the state-level policy context on attitudes toward gay marriage.

in addition to religiosity and political conservatism, attitudes about marriage and divorce, perceived blameworthiness for family breakdown, and the personal desirability of heterosexual marriage promotion have powerful independent effects on attitudes toward gay marriage marital experience does not directly affect attitudes toward gay marriage cohabitation's association with liberal attitudes in general continues in the specific realm of attitudes toward gay marriage (Brumbaugh, et al.).

The authors of the study were basically saying that the question was more related to a person's religious affiliation, cohabitation experience, political affiliation and the triumvirate mentioned in the first finding. The article does not express an opinion regarding the rightness or wrongness of gay marriage, but looks at how people in certain states view it.

The second article looked directly at the consequences o the denial of marriage status equality for gay couples and how that system can be changed. The author states "I propose family law reform that would recognize all families' worth. Marriage as a family form is not more important or valuable than other forms of family, so the law should not give it more value" (Polikoff). This is an attitude that looks at the question from an entirely different perspective than most. Marriage is not the issue the author says; the issue is that families, no matter what their type, are being denied basic freedoms and benefits that are accorded to other. Since fairness and liberty are doctrines espoused in the United States, it seems that these should apply to family matters such as this, the author states (Polikoff).

These are two studies that look at the question from entirely different viewpoints. The first wants to find out what type of people are more likely to oppose gay marriage and what type of people are likely to support it. The second article offers a possible solution that the author seems to believe is unique and viable. The first piece is quantitative research based on statistically derived results from answers to a survey, while the second is more of an informed opinion piece. Polikoff conducted a great deal of research for her article, but it differs greatly from the quantitative study in that it conducts research into previous articles and attitudes.