Political Economist

The following is an essay that I wrote for English Writing class. Most debates related with gay and lesbian marriage in the United States are based on the concept of morality derived from Christian religious principles. That is why the debates sometimes become over-politicized. In this essay, I approached the issue not from religious perspective, but from civil rights.

Those who oppose same sex marriage claim that gay and lesbian marriage will bring about the collapse of the traditional concept of family and marriage, thereby leading to moral decadence. However, their concept of morality is based on prejudice against social minorities and may lead to the violation of basic human rights. In this essay, I will address this issue focusing especially on the concept of the traditional family and marriage, morality and future implications of same sex marriage.

Firstly, most opponents of same sex marriage are inclined to draw their argument based on the traditional concept of marriage and family. They argue same sex marriage will bring about the deconstruction of the traditional family and the concept of marriage. But it is not so easy to understand what their images of traditional family and marriage are. Sometimes, they seem to be based on the idealized image of the monogamous family which is composed of one male husband/father and one female wife/mother and their children. Admittedly, this type of marriage and family can be justifiably attributed to the traditional concept of family because it has a long history in the modern world.

However, it is also true that this traditional family is becoming obsolete due to various socio-economic changes; the number of single parents with children, and those who want to live alone among adult persons are increasing in the most advanced capitalist countries partly because of high divorce rates and various economic reasons. For example, those who are worried about the deconstruction of the traditional family should consider the fact that only 15% of the whole U.S family can be categorized as traditional family. If it is true, the main threat of so-called traditional family is not same sex marriage itself but various socio-economic changes of the society. Then why should same sex marriage be blamed for the collapse of traditional family value?

Secondly, another critique of same sex marriage is based on the narrow concept of morality. Those who do not want to accept same sex marriage claim that the homosexuality is the violation of morality of the society. But I cannot understand what they are talking about morality. The homosexuality is just about the difference of sexual preferences of individuals. It has nothing to do with morality.

If they really want to argue that the homosexuality is the violation of the underlying principle of morality, then they should offer their own definition of morality. Whatever they say, however, their own concepts of morality will turn out to be different from those of the advocates of same sex marriage. From this juncture, the collision between different moralities can become a legal issue.

In other words, the homosexuality should not be judged by the narrowest concept of self-righteous morality of the opponents. The homosexuality is about different sexual preferences, and same sex marriage is about the legal protection for the minority. There is no such a thing as privileged moral authority in discussing the issue of the homosexuality and same sex marriage.

Finally, those who oppose same sex marriage argue that the legal protection for gay and lesbian couples would open the door to various kinds of heterosexual couples, thereby in extreme cases leading to the polygamy. Thus, the Massachusetts Supreme Court’s ruling on the rights of same sex marriage should be banned by the Federal Supreme Court of Justice.

However, there is no logical causal relationship between same sex marriage and the polygamy in the first place. The argument that same sex marriage is a sort of slippery slope leading to polygamy is an extreme argument without any substantial evidence.

Furthermore, even though we admit this unsubstantial assumption that allowing legal protections for gay and lesbian couples may induce polygamous family, there is no legal legitimacy for the Court to ban same sex marriage in advance if that marriage does not do any harm to public health, safety and welfare. It is common sense that any legal and political authorities can only be justified or legitimatized when they protect civil rights based on an appropriate legal framework.

Finally, the polygamy is another traditional type of marriage based on individuals’ own moral, sexual judgment like the monogamy. It is a quite common phenomenon even in certain states of the U.S. If it causes sexual abuses, discrimination against gender, then it should be punished by appropriate laws. But there is no rational reason to ban the polygamy in the name of the conservation of traditional family values. Nobody can justifiably argue that the monogamy is superior both morally and sociologically to the polygamy.

Most ordinary Americans seem to be over-politicized over the same sex marriage issue. But once they recognize the fact that the homosexuality is not a moral issue but a different sexual preference, they will realize that same sex marriage is a simple matter of legal statement. And if so many gay and lesbian couples are really suffering from lack of proper legal protection, then this issue should be viewed as a serious violation of basic human rights. In sum, those who have homosexual preferences deserve to have their own family and should be protected by the same laws like heterosexual family.

Comment 1 (from one of my friends) I like your essay organization. It was clearly divided. But I did not understand your concept of morality and are you pro-polygamy? I am not sure but maybe you should talk about ‘civil right’ instead of ‘human right.’ If you are pro-same sex marriage, you should not bring up the polygamy issue that is very polarizing.

Comment 2 (from the instructor): The problem with the argumentation is that we know what the idea of morality is based on. It is based on the Bible which rejects polygamy and homosexual relations – the question is whether this is what should define morality rather than what morality is based on.