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 It was repealed in 2012 by president Barack Obama because of the court case Windsor v. United States which ruled section 3 of the act as unconstitutional.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.
I believe that same sex marriage is a major issue in the United States today. The picture you have of states that have same sex marriage is inaccurate though, there have been more states to pass same sex marriage laws since then. Eventually gay marriage will be accepted everywhere in the US just like how civil rights was a battle, this will also be a battle.
ReplyDeleteBefore I start, please note that I do not fear nor hate homosexuals, I resect everyone no matter their choices. I can understand why you and many others may think this way. Media and peer pressure of others have blindly driven many down the path of Gay marriage. First off its simple science, as Niel White,(a scientist working on the human genome project) stated and proven homosexuality not to be associated with genetics. Proving homosexuality to be a choice. Of course one can not instantly make this choice overnight, it takes many years of the brain being "rewritten" of formed into developing an attraction for the opposite sex. Next of we have the many disadvantages of gay marriage, also, proven by science, shorter life expectancy, greater chance of divorce, greater chance of numerous philological disorders, greater chance of children to develop psychological disorders, greater chance of unemployment, and not to mention common std. Saying love Is love blindly is also a problem of society, by saying love is love you are saying incest is love, bestiality is love. Be carful what you say and mean. Love in the first place is not even as we perceive it. Love is a chemical reaction that is like natures way of tricking us into reproducing, there is no greater meaning of love, love is an illusion. Animals showing homosexuality is also debunked, animals only showing sexual traits to other animals, well, because there "in the mood" and are only interested in pleasuring themselves. The same animals who might show "homosexuality" for 1 seconded will still mate with the opposite sex regardless they know no such definition of marriage and are only using their instincts of reproduction. Children are also greatly impacted by having Gay parents. By confusing gender roles with their respective genders and consultation of these two genders not meeting natural reproductive values. Stating single parent family's as a defense does not work simply because its not confusing gender roles gender roles. If we can stand up, wake up, and realize the facts science has provided. WAKE UP.
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