2. HEAR SOME ARGUMENTS AGAINST GAY MARRIAGE
"Homosexuality is morally wrong."
The Argument: The practice of homosexuality is a violation of the religious faith American society is based on. We have a responsibility to be sympathetic to our fellow human beings, but extending to homosexual couples the special privileges of the traditional family would undermine the sanctity of the family.
The Response: There is such in a thing in the United States as the separation of Church and State. America is not based on one particular faith, nor on a single moral code, but on a plurality of creeds. Your feelings as a member of a particular religious community notwithstanding, you have a responsibility as a citizen to support the extension of the same civil rights you yourself enjoy to everyone equally. Race, sex, religion, and sexual orientation must not affect the even application of civil rights. Homosexuality is not morally wrong, but even if you believe it is, you must not oppose the right of any person to claim equal privileges under the law.
"The suggestion that homosexuals can be 'married' is absurd, since marriage is, by definition, a union between a man and a woman."
The Argument: Calling a union between two gay people "marriage" devalues the word. What is special about marriage, and beneficial to society, ceases to be special and beneficial to society if the idea of marriage becomes so diluted as to include just about anything.
The Response: There has never been any fixed, traditional definition of marriage. The idea of marriage is constantly changing according to the changing needs of society. The world we live in today is very different from the world of a hundred or fifty years ago and our institutions must be altered to reflect these changes. There is no evidence to suggest that same-sex marriage would be harmful to society.
"Under the doctrine of the separation of Church and State, the government should not force millions of religious people to accept a new definition of 'marriage.'"
The Argument: Legalized same-sex marriage violates freedom of religion, since those who believe deeply that homosexuality is immoral, and that same-sex marriage is wrong, would be forced by the government to accept these "marriages."
The Response: Civil recognition of a union between two people is separate from religious recognition. Marriage licenses can be issued without a religious ceremony, and those who are opposed to same-sex marriage would be no more forced to accept it morally than they are forced to accept homosexuality itself.
"The institution of heterosexual marriage serves a social purpose, and that purpose is to foster a stable community and a good environment for bringing up children."
The Argument: Committed, monogamous relationships between men and women - marriages, in other words - are the foundation of the nation's health, peace, and security. At a time when we are faced with high rates of divorce, teen pregnancy, and rampant STDs, any action taken to undermine the sacrament of marriage is likely to further erode our communities.
The Response: There is no evidence to suggest that social problems are caused by gay lifestyles any more than they are caused by so-called "traditional" lifestyles. Same-sex couples are as likely as straight couples to live healthy, happy, well-adjusted lives, and to provide a good environment in which to raise children. Though they cannot procreate themselves, gays and lesbians could adopt and raise children just as well as straight couples. Furthermore, same-sex couples have just as much right to happiness as straight couples who choose to marry but are unable or unwilling to have children.
