Reagan Steen
Dr. Stengel
Writing 1320
15 February 2014
Gay Marriage Summary In “Gay Marriage, Liberalism, and Recognition: The Case for Equal Treatment,” published in Public Affairs Quarterly, Jacob M. Held discusses the arguments over gay marriage in today’s society. An amendment was presented and voted on which stated that a marriage is between a man and woman. After this amendment was brought into Congress and butted heads with some states, New Jersey made a decision to consider becoming the second state to give homosexuals the right to marry, with Massachusetts being the first (221, pars. 1-2). According to the religious arguments, homosexuality is a sin and marriage is between a man and woman, gays should not have the right of marriage. (221, par. 3). Although many people believe that religion plays a big role in the gay marriage disputes, it is more a political issue than anything. While the religious side of this argument can be convincing, it is primarily an opinion and cannot be carried any further. In the dictionary, marriage is defined as a union between one man and one woman (222, par. 4). This is a pre-determined factor, and because of that, homosexuals cannot be considered married. The argument here is that it should be defined different and equal (221-224, pars. 3-9) Since marriage is such a big part of today’s society, some say that gay marriage will harm it. Opponents believe that homosexuals will undermine marriage, when in reality they value marriage and just want to be a part of it (224-226, pars. 10-14) Held says, “If you allow gays to marry, then you will have to allow polygamy, polyandry, and even incestuous marriage.” Gay marriage does not cause any harm, while incestuous marriages can harm the comforts of society. Personal decisions on gay marriage are just considered reactions and are not suitable arguments to fight against it. Our rights are not based on personal opinions (224-227, pars 15-18). Gay marriage will help stabilize the gay community, and can