A Resolution to Legalize Same Sex Marriage in the United States

During this round I will explain my case in further detail and will break down my opponent's case in the final round. First off I would like to restate my three contentions. 1. ) Homosexuality is a sin according to the various religions responsible for the founding of marriage 2. ) Legally allows children to be deprived of a mother or father 3. ) Sets bad example for future generations and can encourage public displays of homosexual behavior Contention 1: While partnership between and male and female has been around since the beckoning of time, making a relationship official legally is a semi-new concept. It was developed by the Jews and Christians thousands of years ago and has become a very popular ceremony today. So the question we must answer when it comes to homosexuality is "Can a homosexual and another homosexual be married? " The very apparent answer is no. To understand this answer we must first look to the scripture of the religion which founded the ceremony. 1 Cor. 6:9-10, states, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor HOMOSEXUALS, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. " This behavior is a sin in the eyes of the very religion that founded marriage. Marriage is a Christian and Jewish ceremony so why should someone be able to use this ceremony to sin? It is a violation of the religion to be homosexual, so clearly they should not use the ceremony to publicly display their homosexuality. Lets look at this from another perspective. Fasting is another such ceremony used by various religions to honor a God. If an atheist person were to fast, it would be very insulting to the people of that faith using this fast as a way to honor their beliefs, due to the fact that the atheist was a sinner. The argument then comes up that there are legal benefits to marriage. While this is true, it is very easily explained. Homosexuals can become domestic partners to receive legal benefits of marriage. This makes no insult to any faith or religion and allows for homosexuals to be in a beneficial relationship. Why would homosexuals want to use a religious ceremony to sin when there are other options available? Contention 2: When two homosexuals become married we are allowing a few things. The most important of which can be observed in the children. A study done by Dr. Dean Byrd from the NARTH Institute reported these very disturbing facts: "Children navigate the developmental stages more easily, are more solid in their gender identity, perform better in academic tasks at school, have fewer emotional disorders and become better functioning adults when they are reared by dual-gender parents. On the contrary, however, studies of children reared in lesbian homes indicate that girls become more masculine and boys become more feminized in their behaviors. (Stacy and Biblarz, 2001)" He goes on to explain how both boys and girls in homosexual households were more likely to experiment with homosexuality than those reared in heterosexual homes. Dr. Byrd also detailed the significant physical and emotional health risks of those who identify as homosexuals, including a reduced lifespan, and increase in suicidal behavior, drug and alcohol abuse, depression, and domestic violence. Clearly a homosexual home is no place for a child to grow up. To let two homosexuals be publicly married would not be in the best interest of the children, which leads me to my third and final contention. Contention 3: I think we can all now agree that homosexuals set a bad example for their own children. Lets look into why homosexuals would want to become married. If legal benefits can be obtained through other options, it is clear the only incentive for a marriage would be a public display of their relationship. This display would be one of detrimental consequences. If homosexual behavior is bad for children, why expose all the children of society to this. My opponent shared with us a disturbing story of two homosexuals kissing in a park. imagine with this scenario, a young child watching the two. This kid is now exposed to the same behavior a child of the homosexual would be exposed to, which as I have proved has very bad effects. Are those list of effects what we as a society would like to see as the norm? I assume you answered the same way I did, NO. To keep society at the level it is now in terms of behavior and morals, we can not let homosexuals display their relationships openly for all to see, most importantly the youth. To vote pro on this debate would be to support the insult of particular religions, as well as the terrible effects homosexual behavior has on children and other observers. Like stated before, if they want legal benefits, take them, but please do not poison the minds of the youth and insult religions in the process.