History of Gay Marriage

The Beginning

The debate over gay marriage can be traced back to the civil rights movement in the 1950s-1960s, which supported efforts to repeal state miscegenation laws that forbade interracial marriage. During that time, the supreme court in 1967 confirmed that "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." The pursuit of happiness has been hotly debated throughout American history due to the loose wording and interpretation of the phrase so important to the basis of American society and morals.

Left: Known as 'The Wedding', in 1987 nearly 2,000 gay couples got married in mass wedding in Washington, DC in the National Mall.

Progress

In 2001, the Netherlands made a big leap as being the first country ever to give gay couples full marriage rights, got to love the Netherlands, right? Three years later, the United States contributed with Massachusetts being the first state to grant marriage licenses to gay couples on May 17.

Pending

A new document is pending in Congress called the Marriage Protection Amendment, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. No decision has been made yet as it was only introduced and was not voted on yet.

Citations:
http://gaymarriage.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000030#2012-present
https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-joint-resolution/51
http://www.freedomtomarry.org/blog/entry/46-years-ago-scotus-ruled-against-marriage-discrimination-in-loving-v.-virg

DOMA Act

DOMA Act

This is a sad fact that still rings true in america today: not all americans are free. This may come as a shock to some people, but gay couples are being denied certain unalienable rights like something as simple as marriage. Prejudice is a major problem when it comes to gay marriage because same-sex couples who wish to become married disgust some people who believe that a union should only be between a man and a woman. The Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, is an example of this prejudice. The act denies federal benefits to gay men and lesbians normally given to married couples. Section 3 of the act is one that denies these couples over 1,100 federal benefits and rights. It was repealed in 2012 by president Barack Obama because of the court case Windsor v. United States which ruled section 3 of the act as unconstitutional. Section 2 of the act still remains as the law of the land. Section 2 states that even if same-sex couples are legally married, states are allowed to refuse to recognize valid civil marriages.

Respect of Marriage Act

 

Respect of Marriage Act, or RMA is an act that repeals DOMA. This act wants rid of section 2 of the defense of marriage act and wants federal benefits returned to gay married couples. It doesn't require that states that have not yet enacted legal protections for gay couples to recognize a marriage or any religious institution. It simply wants the federal government to equally apply its policy of looking to the states in determining what legal relationships are eligible for federal benefits. Gay couples shouldn't have to leave their homes and families just to have the opportunity to wed.

Citations:

"Congress.gov." Library of Congress. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.

"18th Annual National Dinner." Human Rights Campaign. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.