Allowing Gay Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Allowing Gay Marriage - Essay Example This is wrong for many reasons, not least of which is the infringement on basic human rights. For many years marriage was between a man and a woman, both of the same races, for the purpose of having children and raising a family. That definition has changed a great deal. For example, the law criminalizing the marriage of two people of opposite races has been abolished. Yet we still cling to the definition of marriage that includes â€Å"a man and a woman† as though it were the only thing in the world that mattered. Why is it so difficult for us to accept change in a fluid world? We do not require people in married relationships to be the same race, in fact that would be discriminatory on more than one level. Yet we find it impossible to step beyond what is considered the definition of marriage. It is generally accepted that marriage is a union between a man and a woman, and that homosexuality is both unnatural and a recent invention. This idea is wrong, however. In fact homosexual tendencies have been observed in over 1,500 animal species, including dolphins, lions, and the dwarf chimpanzee which is one of humanities closest relatives. These homosexual tendencies range from life long partnerships, as with some birds, to single sexual interactions. In fact humans have accepted homosexuality for thousands of years. The first recorded homosexual couple dates back to 2400 BCE in ancient Egypt. These men were Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, and are depicted in Egypt’s most intimate embrace on the walls of their tomb. There have been numerous other cases of the acceptance of homosexuality in Greek and Roman times as well. We can see from this that homosexual tendencies are neither unnatural nor a new invention. What other arguments are there, then, against same-sex marriages? Unfortunately, the arguments are numerous, if a bit unfounded and full of rhetoric. The most