Gay Marriage: Why it is Not the Promise it Appears to be
This 7-page undergraduate paper examines why same sex marriages should not be granted. This paper concludes that most Americans are opposed to same sex marriages. Further, same sex marriages seem to offer few benefits and a few threats to society and to individuals. Same sex marriages will not eliminate discrimination or produce a safer environment for same sex couples or their children. At the same time, changing the definition of marriage to accommodate these unions will allow virtually anyone to be married, and will create other unions which are potentially socially harmful. It seems that groups advocating same sex marriages hope for the symbolism of marriage to confer a new status for the gay and lesbian individuals who are discriminated against. However, this is not a beneficial goal, as marriage assists societies, not individuals, and since participating in marriages means participating in the same standards of heterosexual morality and propriety which has traditionally worked against gay and lesbian groups.
