by Jeremy Whitley

Created on: February 01, 2007   Last Updated: April 30, 2007

"Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and it hasn't changed at all" ("Marriage Protection Act"). Is this statement really true? Are women still considered property? Is it illegal for blacks to marry whites? Divorce is certainly no longer illegal ("12 Reasons"). There is much controversy over what the definition of marriage should be. It appears that the arguments for the protection of man and woman as the only correct formation of a marriage are based on historic legislation prior to any evolution of society. "The word marriage' means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word spouse' refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife" ("Defense of Marriage Act"). This quotation is used in determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various bureaus and agencies within the United States ("Defense of Marriage Act"). My goal is to provide the facts from an unbiased perspective so that it is possible for

others to conjure up a wise and well-informed opinion of what should actually be the definition of marriage (Moran).

First, I would like to tackle the issues related to religion. This is a major source of all controversy. Each of the defenders of traditional marriage attempts to bring The Holy Bible into their argument. It is generally stated that gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are not always imposed upon the entire country, otherwise, we would only have one religion in America ("12 Reasons"). In many cases when you speak to someone regarding their spiritual beliefs, they tend to pick and choose selections they wish to follow. This cannot be, or religion is meaningless. Not one person follows their own religion one hundred percent or the world would be a perfect place. It is believed that legalizing and acknowledging same-sex marriages will open the door to other similarly unholy behaviors. Many say that it will encourage other people to be gay. That is just like saying if you stand near a tall person, it will make you tall ("12 Reasons").

On September 21, 1996, President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act or DOMA, which allows each state to deny any marriage-like relationship between persons of the same sex which has been recognized in another state ("Defense of Marriage Act"). Currently, the only state in the United States, which allows homosexuals to become

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