Gay Marriage Persuasive Speech free essay sample

It discriminates against us, when we are only being ourselves. People say we are the unnatural ones, when in reality; they are the ones being unnatural, as the concept of discrimination is human-made and therefore not natural. Many religions are discriminating against us, and they are one reason why the law has not yet been changed. I am here to argue my case about why gay marriage should be legalised, so that one day I can marry the one I love. As Australians, we believe in equality don’t we? Equal rights for all, men, women, all races etc. Yet, there is still inequality between heterosexuals and homosexuals. It’s legal for heterosexuals to marry who they like, but not for homosexuals. In 2010, the Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young introduced a Marriage Equality Bill. In February of the same year the Senate rejected it. No matter how many Bills have been introduced; they have so far been rejected. This is ridiculous, I cannot understand why a country that believes in equality is restricting gay marriage! America is already far ahead of us, with many states having legalised gay marriage. Even South Africa, where discrimination runs rampant, has legalised it. 1. % of Australia’s adult population are homosexuals. At least, those are the ones we know about; as many feel the need to hide their sexuality because they feel discriminated against. We’re Australians right? We have made discrimination illegal, created equal rights for everyone and all these wonderful things. But we don’t have equal rights for homosexuals; no we’re not allowed to marry the ones we love. People who are fighting against gay marriage are hypocrites. They preach equality and anti-discrimination, but at the same time they discriminate against homosexuals. We say we’re Australian and that we believe in equal rights and are against discrimination, yet every time we fight against gay marriage we are being discriminatory. The majority of common society supports it, just ask anyone in the community, they’ll tell you to legalise it already and move on to more important issues. So if it’s un-Australian, let alone illegal, to discriminate, why is it still happening? Okay I understand some people are super-religious and are against gay marriage because it’s against their religion, but it’s not like we’re asking them to marry someone of the same sex. They claim that it’s a sin in the eyes of God, and that it’s their job to â€Å"stop it†, but God wants us to love one another equally. They argue that it says in the bible that homosexuality is sinful, however in the Age article The Straight and Narrow, the writer, Elizabeth Skinner says â€Å"If Adam marrying Eve in the Bible has anything at all to do with marriage only being possible between a man and a woman†¦ then I pray to God that nobody asks how Cain and Abel (Adam and Eve’s sons) had daughters, because I’m not sure what would be legal then. † God doesn’t judge which gender you love, he doesn’t judge at all. Promiscuity and Abuse, okay I can understand how they are sinful, but homosexuality isn’t necessarily either of those things. The Bible was written in the days when homosexuality wasn’t as well known or accepted and yet many still try to apply it to the 21st century. It’s not meant to be taken literally and applied to every situation in life, many of the stories written were about that particular time period, and don’t always apply to the present day. As society changes, the Church often lags behind, especially when it comes to change. In order to rule out discrimination altogether, the Church needs to catch up to the rest of society. Speaking of a different time, the legal meaning of marriage in Australia is old and out-dated. It was made in the Marriage Act 1961 and states that marriage is â€Å"the union of a man and woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life. † Society has changed dramatically since the ‘60s. Women are less oppressed, and all races are considered equal. Back in the ‘60s people didn’t agree or understand homosexuality, and whatever they didn’t understand scared them. In the 21st century, we believe change is often good and we don’t shy away from what we don’t understand, instead we investigate to try and understand it. We have anti-discrimination laws, which protect sex, race etc. but it doesn’t extend to sexuality. Gay marriage should be legalised, ask anyone on the street, they’ll ask why it hasn’t been done already. Society changes, people change, now all we need is the law to change. So we discriminate against homosexuals, with many people saying it’s â€Å"natural† or â€Å"normal†, however discrimination doesn’t exist in the wild. We tend to think we’re better than animals right? We can talk, make buildings etc. , but animals don’t discriminate. In fact, some animals can be both female and male and even change their sex. For example, schools of clownfish have a hierarchy, with a female fish at the top. If the female fish dies, the most dominant male changes sex to take over the school. The concept of discrimination is man-made. Animals don’t care about homosexuality or the way they look. Another example is Tarzan; yes the good old Disney Tarzan. He was raised by Gorillas in the jungle, they took him in and treated him as one of their own, raised him in their ways. They didn’t say â€Å"you can’t join us because you’re different to us† they accepted him. People tend to discriminate to simply boost their enormous egos or because they’re terrified of difference. Hence, by discriminating against homosexuals and banning them from marrying the one they love, we’re the unnatural ones. Another issue people have with gay marriage is that of starting a family. Many say that Children need one parent of each sex to thrive, not two of one sex. Yet the head of Cambridges Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Michael Lamb testified at a federal trial in San Francisco in 2010 that research has found that the children of same-sex parents are just as likely to be well-adjusted as those of heterosexual parents. He said that childhood adjustment is determined simply by the relationships parents have with their children and each other. Research also suggests that gay and lesbian parents are actually a great resource for kids in need of adoption. According to a report by the Williams Institute and the Urban Institute (in the USA) made in 2007, 65,000 kids were living with their gay adoptive parents between 2000 and 2002, with another 14,000 in foster homes directed by homosexuals. In an October 2011 report by Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute (also in the USA) it was also found that of lesbian and gay adoptions at more than 300 agencies, 10 per cent of the kids placed were older than 6, which is typically a very hard age to adopt out, and about 25 per cent were older than 3. 60 per cent adopted across all races and more than half of the kids adopted by gays and lesbians had special needs. Homosexuals are just as good at caring for children as heterosexual couples, their children grow up to be just as happy and successful as those raised by heterosexuals. They’re willing to adopt those who so many don’t care about, to help those in need. I would love to have children one day, whether it be by adoption or by a sperm donor. I don’t care what race they are or if they have special needs, I would love and cherish them no matter what. If I want to marry the one love and start a family, who are they to stop me? Honestly it’s not like I’m asking you to do anything outrageous, I’m not asking everyone to turn homosexual or anything. Legalizing gay marriage is a reasonable request, especially since we believe in equality. Discrimination is against the law and completely unnatural. Many religions consider it a â€Å"sin† but they’re taking the bible far too literally and taking it out of context. The Law is also old and out-dated, created in a different era of society than the one we live in today, it is meant to keep up with the changing values of society after all. We want children too you know, and we’re just as capable as heterosexual couples, and in some cases even more so. Anyone can see why same-sex marriage should be legalized, so why hasn’t it been?