Session 13 - A Political Topic under the Sky

It is believed that all men are “created equal” and so the right to life - not just the state of being alive but of being able to engage in the pursuit of happiness – is guaranteed to every living person by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Why then are the rights of homosexuals being violated?

Some say same-sex marriage goes against their religious beliefs, others say it is unnatural. Are the ways in which we pursue happiness in everyday life determined by our religion and its values? Who decides what is natural and what is unnatural? Isn’t knowing that, men and women sexually-oriented exclusively towards people of the same gender are not conditioned to feel so, not enough to believe it’s not unnatural?

Nature “equipped” women to be with men and vice versa for the sake of reproduction of the species. Humans, unlike other animals that can fend for themselves, require someone to take care of them in their early years. Can it then be assumed nature created homosexuality so that orphans and abandoned children would be taken care of by homosexual partners; to perhaps create balance in the world?

Advocates of same-sex marriage believe it should be allowed because it is the right of every person to freely choose their partner and to purse a happy and fulfilling life. Some people do not condemn it because they are not effected by it. Most of those who do condemn it do so based on religious justifications. But regardless of the reason for their disapproval, is it acceptable for one group of people to deny another group one of the basic human rights? 

Should same-sex marriage be legalized?