I wrote this paper for school, I think I ended up getting 85% on this assignment.

The word “gay” often instills fear of the unknown into the hearts of many North Americans. I believe that this fear is unfounded; people are simply brought up to believe that being Gay is “wrong”. I’ve never seen it stated anywhere in the Bible that, “being homosexual is wrong”. Nothing of that nature exists in the Bible. People probably assume that being gay is wrong simply because none of those sorts of relationships exist in Biblical text. I myself have two gay cousins and one aunt (whom I refuse to name for confidentiality’s sake). It brings no shame to me to have relatives that are attracted to the same sex. Gay people are generally not accepted by society, this can be proven by perceptions, marital rights and rights to have children.

Many may think that being a homosexual is “unnatural” and “not right”. It is believed by many that love is the equivalent of sex. Some people believe that you cannot factor two people of the same gender into the equation of love because procreation is the reason for relationships. Humans have evolved and their beliefs should too. If the soul reason for relationships is reproduction, then two people should be allowed to be in a gay relationship when the means exists for them to reproduce. Humans no longer need someone of the opposite sex to reproduce. All one has to do is go down to the local sperm bank and have your baby via a petree dish. Neanderthal males obviously had sexual encounters with their feminine counterparts, but who’s to say that they did not do so with the opposite sex? The earliest time that gay relationships were recorded on records was during Ancient Greek times. In Ancient Greece it was considered acceptable for a younger and older male figure to be partners. Some scholars even propose that Alexander the Great was a homosexual. The word gay has certainly evolved from the turn of the century word meaning happy, to a relationship between two people of the same sex. My own beliefs are that truly loving relationships can transcend any barrier including age and gender.

I believe that homosexual people should be accepted into modern society to the extent that they should be allowed marital rights. Marriage should be the conformation of the vows between two people that love each other dearly. Marriage is something not to be taken upon lightly and I don’t believe that gay people would take it upon with any less ease. In fact gay people might even consider this a privilege and respect the rights of marriage more than many people do today. Heterosexual people take for granted the fact that they can marry and divorce at will, and as a result many have grown to the point that they don’t respect the term love anymore, instead their relationships are based on lust. In 1995 Ontario had 29 352 divorces, these divorces affected at least 58 704 people, since divorces involve two people. (Top 10 Book of Lists) This is larger than the population of North Bay! My conclusion is that Gay people would cherish the vow of marriage and not run into a marriage that won’t last. Gay people who experience true love need to experience lifelong commitment in a vow to take care of each other. This vow needs to be to God, so that they can truly share in the happiness and sorrow of one another’s lives.

I don’t believe that a child who grows up in a household with either two fathers or two mothers will be badly influenced. It’s not fair that children of gay parents may persecuted, but its not the fault of the parents that it occurs. Other parents should teach their children not to ridicule someone who has a different family. Children are innocent, so parents not only have to clean up what their child is thinking, but what they are thinking themselves. Many children in Canadian, American and Swedish society grow up with one parent, and thus with one gender influencing them, rendering the excuse of “male and female influence” useless under my own standards. If children should have both a male and female influence than I suppose all single parents must get married, even if they are unhappy and their children are as well. I would rather have children grow up happy and healthy in an environment with gay parents then sad and miserable in a family that doesn’t love them.

Gay people are generally not accepted by society, this can be proven by perceptions, marital rights and rights to have children. Homophobia runs vamped in today’s society, and I do not understand why. Gay persons are exactly the same as ordinary peoples (if there is such a thing) the only difference lies in their sexual preference. Over the past few years discussion of gay and homosexual issues has becoming more evident. Gay clubs and personal ads have been appearing more openly both on the Internet and in newspapers. Shows like “Will & Grace” have become more popular, and people aren’t as afraid to show their beliefs. Many advertise the fact that they are gay, even though they risk scrutiny of homophobic people. Trailblazing events have been occurring in the gay world, including the legalization of same sex marriages in Vermont and the recognition of same sex partners in insurance plans. People as individuals need to see past the mask that has clouded their eyes for so long and see the potential for love that can exist between two people. We need to climb further up the mountain of acceptance and not fall back down. We as a society need to open our eyes to the fact that God’s greatest gift was unconditional love. We should embrace that love wherever it exists.