Gay Rights Shape the Future of Marriage

Historically, not much change occurs in a period of two decades. The world’s population, the expansion of the universe, the evolution of a certain species on Earth… The list goes on. This also holds true for the “evolution” of marriage, although today in the U.S., it’s is being redefined. Marriage will be the same in 2029 in most aspects as it is today, but there will be movements proposing transformation—such as same-sex marriage, for instance. As with all change though, it takes time and a lot of effort to obtain the desired results.


Same-sex marriage has been, and possibly will always be, a fiery topic of controversy. Whatever your stance may be on this issue, someone, somewhere, will vehemently oppose it. This debate arguably started in 1971 when the Minnesota Supreme Court case, Baker v. Nelson, ruled that Minnesota law limited marriage to opposite-sex couples (Untitled). Not until the 1990s did this truly become a “hot” legal issue. President Bill Clinton passed the Defense of Marriage Act on September 21, 1996 stating this:


1. No state (or other political subdivision within the United States) needs to treat a relationship between persons of the same sex as a marriage, even if the relationship is considered a marriage in another state.
2. The federal government may not treat same-sex relationships as marriages for any purpose, even if concluded or recognized by one of the states. (DOMA)


With this legislation, no one state is obligated to treat a relationship between same-sex individuals as a marriage, nor does the Federal Government recognize this union, regardless of the state’s marriage policy. Even though this legislation passed, steps have still been made in the direction of legalizing same-sex marriage in the U.S.


Currently 3 states— Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa—have legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. California would have joined this list, but California Supreme Court recently upheld Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage as of May 26, 2009, by 52% majority vote, but did not annul the 18,000 previously officiated same-sex marriages (McGreal). Maine, Vermont and Colorado have also passed legislation deeming same-sex marriage legal, but that won’t officially take effect until later this year. So, it is apparent that a substantial movement is materializing to ultimately legalize same-sex marriage within the U.S. Federal Government.


While each one of us may have our own assorted opinions about whether same-sex marriage is moral, legal, or even if it is an issue worth expanding upon, it is real, and it may be something that we, as Americans, may have to learn to accept by 2029. By the context of the United States Constitution, the denial of the “Pursuit of Happiness” would actually be considered an infringement upon our rights, so who’s to say that a homosexual couple is happy being unwed? I’m certainly not one to be the judge of that, are you? If one thing that history has taught us, it is to not underestimate the will and determination of the Human Race and all of its endeavors, whatever they may be.