Homosexual Marriage

Outline:I. IntroductionII. HomosexualityIII. MarriageIV. Are Homosexuals Capable of Raising ChildrenV. SourcesI. Introduction Homosexuality: sexual desire or behavior directed toward a person or persons of one's own sex (S1).Marriage: any of the diverse forms of interpersonal union established in various parts of the world to form a familial bond that is recognized legally, religiously, or socially, granting the participating partners mutual conjugal rights and responsibilities and including, for example, opposite-sex marriage and same-sex marriage (S2).I, pro, will be advocating for homosexual marriage. To do this, I will explain the nature of homosexuality; proving, with scientific evidence, that homosexuality is natural. Additionally, I will properly define marriage to explain why homosexuals should have the right to marry a person of the same sex. Also, I will assess how capable homosexuals are of raising children.II. HomosexualityOne of the greatest misconceptions about homosexuality is that "it's a choice." However, both studies and mere observations in our environment strongly supports to the belief that homosexuality is a genetic trait. For example, a study conducted by Dr. Tuck C. Ngun and his team at the University of California have come to a conclusion that homosexuality is a genetic trait. To find this, Ngun and his team gathered 37 pairs of twins in which one was homosexual and the other was heterosexual. Then, blood was taken from each subject. By analyzing the DNA, Ngun and his team have isolated a gene known as the "Xq28 marker." This piece of DNA is believed to be the "gay gene," (S3). Another strong piece of evidence pointing to the belief that homosexuality is natural is its common appearance in nature. Virtually all species that are, of course, not asexual, possess some members that are homosexual. No, this is not some "conscious act against God," which many religious zealots claim homosexuality to be, for animals lack the concept of "God" and "sin." Some animals exhibit homosexual behavior because their impulses naturally drive them to (S4).I would also like to address the bogus idea that "homosexuals are immoral." This belief is mostly derived from religious beliefs, such as Christianity, where homosexuality is a direct act against God and that there's a place in the firey sulfur lakes of Hell for the "sexually immoral." However, famous religious figures such as Pope Frances have become accepting of the homosexual community. He has publicly apologized to homosexuals that have been marginalized by the Church, going as far to say "[homosexuals] must not be discriminated against but must be respected and accompanied pastorally," (S5). Additionally, one of the biggest fallacies being that "homosexual men are more likely to molest children," has been debunked multiple times. As shown by research conducted by Dr. Gregory Herek, adults, regardless of their sexual orientation, are equally likely to commit molestation (S6), showing that there is no correlation between sexual orientation and the tendency to molest children.III. MarriageMarriage, as I have previously defined before, is the legal union between two people of the opposite or same sex. According to statistics collected by Pew Research Center in 2016, approximately 55% of Americans support homosexual marriage (S7), and this number has slowly been rising. Many people are horrified of the lurid consequences of the legalization of homosexual marriage. However, as infogr.am argues, "Gay Marriage will have no impact whatsoever on heterosexual communities, just as racial integration in the 60's had no negative impact on white communities. This is the same concept with legalization of gay marriage, it will grant the LGBT community a right that has been immorally denied to them," (S8).One of the greatest arguments against homosexual marriage is that homosexual marriage is an attack on the institution of marriage. However, what makes this argument so ridiculous is that the divorce rate in America is practically over 50%. If anti-gay activists truly wished to "protect the institution of marriage," certainly they'd much rather advocate for the outlawing of divorce. Additionally, demographic data suggests that homosexual marriage will protect the institution of marriage (S9). According to NBC, states that allow same-sex marriage have lower divorce rates. These statists show that states that legalized homosexual marriage in 2013 had a divorce rate approximately 20% lower than states that prohibited it (S10).IV. Are Homosexuals Capable of Raising ChildrenMany question the ability of homosexual couples to raise children. However, recent studies have shown that homosexuals are capable of being good parents. Abbie Goldberg, a psychologist at Clark University who researches gay and lesbian parenting, says that gay parents "tend to be more motivated, more committed than heterosexual parents on average, because they chose to be parents." Research also suggests that gay and lesbian parents are a powerful resource for kids in need of adoption. According to a 2007 report by the Williams Institute and the Urban Institute, 65,000 kids were living with adoptive gay parents between 2000 and 2002, with another 14,000 children living in foster homes of gays and lesbians. Research has also shown that the kids of same-sex couples were raised no worse than kids of straight couples in terms of mental health, social functioning and school performance. In a 2010 study conducted by sociologist Judith Stacey and Tim Biblarz, there were no differences found between children raised by heterosexual parents and children raised by lesbian parents (S11). Other research that suggest that homosexuals are compatible parents was conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The association holds that "the research has been remarkably consistent in showing that [homosexual] parents are every bit as fit and capable as heterosexual parents, and their children are as psychologically healthy and well-adjusted as children reared by heterosexual parents," (S12).V. SourcesS1) http://www.dictionary.com......S2) http://www.dictionary.com......S3) http://www.telegraph.co.uk......S4) https://en.wikipedia.org......S5) https://cruxnow.com......S6) http://psychology.ucdavis.edu......S7) http://www.pewforum.org......S8) https://infogr.am......S9) http://ic.galegroup.com......S10) http://www.nbcchicago.com......S11) http://www.livescience.com......S12) http://www.latimes.com......