Sarah McMahon 4/17/12 Goodheart Same sex Marriage On June twenty seventh, 1969 in New Yorks Greenwich Village

cops raided a gay bar. The normal bar goers, all in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered) category started a giant fight in the streets. This fight had people throwing bottles and rocks at riot brigades, all because the police wanted to take away gay cross-dressing men. This fight caused about three days worth of riots in the LGBT community. These riots were formally known as the stonewall riots ("The Stonewall Riots - 1969." Socialist Alternative. Web. 22 Apr. 2012). These riots should have been started much sooner. I think we should legalizing gay marriage in all fifty states in the United States, but I think we should take the legal branch instead of the judicial branch. In 1979 approximately 75,000 people participated in the national march on Washington for LGBT rights, this is the largest political gathering in support of LGBT rights to this day. In 1984 the city of Berkeley, California, is the first city to offer employees domestic partnership benefits. Then in the year 2000 Vermont becomes the first state to legally recognize civil unions between gay couples, this law refers to gay civil unions like it would a marriage, which the state defined as purely heterosexual. As the fight for gay marriage got stronger on May 17, 2004 same-sex marriage is legalized in Massachusetts. Then in October 2005 civil unions become legal in Connecticut. A year later in December 2006 civil unions become legal in New

Jersey. Then on October 10th, 2008 the Supreme Court rules that same sex couples may get married, this means that Connecticut is the second state to approve gay marriage. On November 12th same sex marriages are officially performed in Connecticut. A year later on April 3rd, 2009 the Iowa Supreme Court rejects a statewide law banning same sex marriage. Only twenty-one days after this country records are required to give marriage licenses for same sex couples. In 2010 congress approves a law to legalize same sex marriage in the District of Columbia. Two years later on February 13th, Washington State becomes the seventh state to legalize gay marriage. Then soon after on March 1st, 2012 Maryland becomes the eighth state to pass a law for the legalization of same sex marriage (Infoplease. The American Gay Rights Movement: A Timeline 22 Apr. 2012). Today people still fight over the issue of same sex marriage. People who think that same sex marriage should be illegal quote the bible saying If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. From Leviticus 20:13 ("The Bible and No Same Sex Marriage." 22 Apr. 2012) ("Same Sex Marriage - From a Biblical Perspective." Bible Teaching and Knowledge. 22 Apr. 2012), while this shows what the Christian religion thinks about the LGBT community this in no reason to ban same sex marriage. The biggest argument against this strong quote is the first amendment, separation of church and state. Because the church and state are separated the rights of marriage should be given to all couples that want to be married in the country.

I think that in the future gay marriage should be a law nation wide. This should be a law rather than an amendment because of the outlook of some people in the United States. I think that when someone talks about same sex marriage they mean the legal benefits and not just the romantic benefits. As a married couple people have many different legal rights that place the two together. People who are in a couple but are not married do not have these rights. Some may fight and say that civil unions are the same as a same sex marriage. I completely do not agree. Marriages are respected state to state for any and all purposes, but civil unions will be treated differently in different states. Married people have 1,138 federal benefits, but a civil union has no federal benefits. People who are in a civil union also cannot fill out that they are in a family unit on official documents because if they are checking off the box for married they can be tried for misrepresentation on ones self in court ("Equal Marriage NOW: Civil Marriage v. Civil Unions." National Organization for Women (NOW). 22 Apr. 2012.) Civil unions are not equal to marriage because of these benefits. In conclusion, I think that we should make gay marriage a lay because it helps LGBT people, not only with the idea of being called married, but with the laws and rights of a married couple. These rights should be given to the LGBT community under the first amendment that states that church and state should be separated. This way people who truly love each other, regardless of what their gender is, can become a married couple everywhere in the United States.

Works cited "The Bible and No Same Sex Marriage." Web. 22 Apr. 2012. <http://nosamesexmarriage.com/marriage/bible_verses.php>. "Equal Marriage NOW: Civil Marriage v. Civil Unions." National Organization for Women (NOW). Web. 22 Apr. 2012. <http://www.now.org/issues/marriage/marriage_unions.html>. Infoplease. Infoplease. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. <http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0761909.html>. "Religion and Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life." Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. <http://www.pewforum.org/Gay-Marriage-and-Homosexuality/Religionand-Attitudes-Toward-Same-Sex-Marriage.aspx>. "Same Sex Marriage - From a Biblical Perspective." Bible Teaching and Knowledge. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. <http://www.bible-knowledge.com/same-sexmarriage/>. "The Stonewall Riots - 1969." Socialist Alternative. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. <http://socialistalternative.org/literature/stonewall.html>. "$title." Stateline.org Story. Web. 22 Apr. 2012. <http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136>.