Essay on Gay Marriage
Essay on Gay Marriage Marriage between Same Sex Couples
There has always been some argument over issues concerning equal rights. Even where some groups are granted some right or other, it can place restrictions on other people’s rights. This particularly concerns one’s right to enter into marriage with a person of the same gender as themselves. The advent of gay marriage gives some couples the right to live together with the person they love without hiding their innermost feelings. It also denies other people the right to live in a world where strict codes of conduct prevail, often to ensure children do not see gay couples kissing or holding hands on the street. A person, of course, cannot be blamed for being attracted to people of the same gender as themselves. The anomaly of homosexuality is explained by both psychological and biological factors. On the biological side, some gay men suffer serious deviations such as a decrease in testosterone and an increase in estrogen while lesbians can be prone to adrenogenital syndrome (See “Biological Causes of Same-sex Attraction”, published 2016). Factors of the psychological type are wider-ranging and they are often the ones that cause the most problems. Some psychological factors, for example, are considered to be unhealthy relationships between child and parent(s) e.g. if a child feels one parent has abandoned them. Other factors are bullying, unsuccessful relationships with different gender children at school, or simply not being able to find something in common with different gender children.
There are people who feel attracted to others of their own gender after a relationship breaks down and they are emotionally affected. This is especially applicable to women who were victims of sexual abuse or domestic violence because they can be certain they will not be abused or beaten by fellow females. There are men who are conscious or feel embarrassed about genital size and fear being laughed at or scorned by women. There are others, often teenagers, who simply want to be different. With nothing else to show they are better or different to others they choose homosexuality. There is great sadness in this because this early-age rebellion can deprive them of a happy family life with children of their own in the future. Such people are often very unhappy and suffer considerable trauma. Their state is often made worse by social exclusion. There are some countries, however, that are sympathetic to such people and have legalized gay marriage. The Netherlands was the first country to implement such laws in 2000. Belgium, Spain and Canada later followed suit. The latest country to legalize gay marriage was Ireland in 2015 while Finland has signed but not yet put into effect such law. This means that, to date, 21 countries permit same sex marriage. Statistics indicate that these countries have higher numbers of gay couples. However, it is difficult to know whether this is the result of some type of propaganda in countries that sanction gay marriage or whether people just hide their homosexuality in countries where same sex relationships are prohibited so that, in fact, they are not known about. It is also difficult to support any family who shuns or gives up on children simply because they are different to the rest. Not only does this not help the children involved, but it reinforces their beliefs they have made the right choice.
Some doctors say homosexuality is a curable disease and offer psychotherapy or hormone treatments to remedy the cause of what they deem an illness of the mind. It would seem more appropriate for the parents of such children to take some instant actions when teenagers appear to be attracted to others of the same gender. These actions include visits to a psychotherapist, an endocrinologist or, if necessary, a change of environment. If these actions do not help, it is important that parents accept their children for what they are. Failure to do this can lead to other problems such as suicidal thoughts or abuse of harmful substances. However, acceptance does not imply that people should be overt in their behaviors, display their affection openly on the street, marry, have children by various means, or generally cause embarrassment to other people. This, of course, restricts people’s rights to some extent. However, it is the only way of ensuring that children can be brought up in a healthy way, seeing the traditional family model, and to protect them against bullying by peers whose parents are the same sex.
