What the Experts Say

To homosexuals and gay and lesbian activists, legal marriage is the next and ultimate step they need and want to take. They long for that commitment and think it is totally unfair they are being denied their right to legalize their love. They, and many more, feel that marriage is not defined by gender, but by what the marriage represents. One of these people is writer Maggie Gallagher,who describes the meaning of marriage as being "an essentially private, intimate, emotional relationship created by two people for their own personal reasons to enhance their own personal well-being. Marriage is created by the couple, for the couple." In her personal view, marriage has no gender and is simply created by the two people involved in a loving relationship, making their own sentimental standards of "marriage" that works for them.
Democratic Representative Patrick Kennedy from Rhode Island says the debate about same-sex marriage "is really about a simple question, a question of equal rights. Marriage is a basic right... Love and commitment are essential pillars of marriage. They are qualities that do not discriminate on account of gender... Love and commitment can exist between a man and a woman, and it can and does exist between men, and between women." He points out that not only is marriage not based on gender, but that it does already exist. Marriage is based on love; a connection two people share deeply. Love can be created by two committed people, no matter what their sex, race, beliefs, or sexual orientation. You cannot tell yourself not to feel the way you feel for someone. Denying homosexual couples the right to marry does not mean their meaningful relationships don't exists. They are just as real and loving as heterosexual couples' relationships. Ignoring their relationship wants and needs does not make them or the problem go away. Allowing same-gender couples to marry and legally express their commitment to one another like heterosexuals do does not take away the meaning of marriage, nor does it discriminate against heterosexuality. "If marital instability is a problem, it is not a problem on which gays are going to have much effect. Extending marriage to gay and lesbian couples would broaden, but not necessarily dilute, society's support for marriage and long-term interpersonal commitment" says Stephen Macedo in his essay entitled "Homosexuality and the Conservative Mind". Marriage is a divine right that everyone should have. It is YOU AND YOUR PARTNERS way of expressing your love and creating a life together, regardless of what kind of life that is.