Homosexuality is a term created by 19th century. Theorist to describe a sexual and emotional interest in members of one's own sex. Today a person is often said to have a homosexual or a heterosexual orientation, a description intended t defuse some of the long-standing sentiment among many Westerners that homosexuality is immoral or pathological. Homosexual practices are not afforded any special moral or psychological significance in many other cultures. A survey of 190 societies around the world (1951) reported that homosexual practi

------------------------------------------------------------------------

If the same sex marriage is made legal then the next generation would not think of it as taboo. It will just be another way of life. All of the controversy has opened the door to discuss families, parenting, and equality for lesbians and gays. They believe that they will be able to raise children in a stable, loving household as most children have with heterosexual marriage. Lambda Defense and Education fund say " Winning or losing any particular battle over marriage is not all that's at stake here. What's at stake is a historical moment to change the position of gay people in society. If we do the work right, all kinds of gains will come from it, apart from the outcome of any particular battle," he says (Gallagher 36).

The Gay marriages are highly emotional topics in the 90s. Many people feel that gay marriages would show heterosexual people how much two people can love each other even if they are of the same sex. Homosexual relationships are more than just sharing feelings with the person they love. "People have become used to the idea of defining gay people solely in terms of sexual acts," says Gregory Herek, a research psychologist at the University of California, Davis. Many heterosexuals get very nervous when they have to think of gay people in terms of relationships, because it challenges the way they have always thought about gay people. They said they are against gay marriage because they would not want to recognize stable gay relationships, says Herek (Gallagher24). When gay people say this is a civil rights issue, homosexual people are referring to matters that they cannot make medical decision for their partners in an emergency. Instead, the hospitals are usually forced by state l!

ical emergencies, and 9) in the event of death , the right t one-half of each others estate" (Love and the Law). In 1988, three homosexual teachers from New York sued the board of education. All three of these teachers had live in the same sex partners. They sued on the grounds of the board of education not giving them the same benefits as married heterosexual couples. They were being discriminated against on the basis of sexual preference.

Marriage is an institution long recognized by the government under the right to pursue happiness, and denying that right to any couple, regardless of gender, is unconstitutional. This nation is built based on the fundamental principles of freedom expressed in the declaration of independence and through the constitution. The opponents of homosexual marriage need to remember what freedom means to America, and understand the significance of setting a precedent that denies that freedom. The Supreme Court has long recognized that the constitution of marriage is one of the rights guaranteed to all Americans by the constitution. "The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men"(Loving Vs Virginia). "This court has long recognized that freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage and family life is one of the liberties protected by the process clause of the fourteenth amendment" (Cleve!

In fact, doesn't marriage produce a bond of love and a life of monogamy? Callahan argues this very main point of what a marriage entails and the quality homosexual couples could gain. Homosexuals have been labeled as very promiscuous and outlandish with their sexual behaviors. Callahan questions, "Doesn't it seem a confirmation of

Some common words found in the essay are:
, Women X-chromosomes, Herek Gallagher24, Indeed Christ, Nazi Germany, Ms Forlini, Love Law, Vs LaFeur, Defense Education, Maureen Lynch, gay people, heterosexual couples, gays lesbians, ms rovira, sexual orientation, homosexual people, people love, board education, legal enforcement mutual, 33 pairs, pairs shared, enforcement mutual obligation, 33 pairs shared, married heterosexual couples,
Approximate Word count = 2388
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)