Why do homosexuals want to get married anyway?

Question

Marriage is something that religion and Christianity made up. Most of them are opposed to religious people and views because it calls them sinners. Do they want this right out of spite? Or do they just not understand that it was made up by the people they dislike the most? They can stay monogamous without having to be married. Is it just for the benefits? I really don't understand.

And please don't say for love because you can stay monogamous and be in love w/out being married.

That's the point. Marriage is supposed to be about love and committment to each other and God. Not about benefits.

If they want to be "equal", meaning the "same", then why be gay in the first place?

Honestly I'm not a big supporter of marriage of anyone. I'm in a long-term heterosexual monogamous relationship. I won't get married. Too many benefits of staying legally single.

Answer 1

Homosexuals are already allowed to get married in their religious institutions. My religion does not condemn homosexuals from marriage (of course it has multiple types of marriage: for companionship, for children, etc, etc). Religious marriage is not the issue.

Homosexuals are asking for civil marriage. That's the "marriage" that was made up by governments, not religious institutions. It is the laws that effect so much of our lives that many people take for granted. Homosexuals started out by just asking for a lot of the legal protections that marriage provides like hospital visitation rights just to name one that a lot of people take for granted. Those who dislike homosexuals opposed these changes to the law, citing religious reasons. The government, thus, agreed. And so on down the line homosexuals tried to get laws passed that would grant the two people in a relationship the same protections as any other couple that is married. And that was it, the government gave those protections to married people only. It protected the children of married people so that if anything happened to one of the people in the couple the other, by law, was able to still retain legal rights to the children, property, entitled to benefits, visitation rights at the hospital, the right to make medical decisions for their loved one should their loved one not be consciously able to, etc, etc, etc. One by one homosexuals have asked for these laws and one by one they have still been denied. Realizing that the laws on marriage are the laws themselves regulating this, it then became clear that if homosexuals could not gain these basic protections that they should strive to go for the big thing: civil marriage.

Again, homosexuals already gained religious marriage. Within Christianity, homosexuals have denominations that already perform same-sex marriages and blesses and the same is true in other religions outside of Christianity. Religious marriage isn't the issue. Homosexuals, when they speak of marriage, are speaking directly about the laws the government makes and not about the regulations by religious institutions. We value religious liberty too much to try to force a religious institution to change it's views. However, as tax payers in a government that is supposed to represent all its citizens we want to be able to enter into the civil marriage contract, too.

When I got incredibly sick and had to go to the hospital, my beloved took me. The entire time the nurses and doctors had to ask my permission if my beloved could be in the room, if my beloved could hear the result of tests, etc. It was very annoying and I commented that they didn't have to ask me each time. To which an RN said to me "For legal reasons we do have to ask you. If you were married then there wouldn't be any legal problems to overcome." And I have heard it several times before on other issues. When speaking to a lawyer about setting up legal protections for each other the lawyer commented "this would all be so much easier with the paperwork and cost you a lot less if you just married each other." Of course he apologized for saying that after remembering that the law forbids two people of the same gender of entering into the legal contract of marriage. And in my own State there was a news story about a homosexual couple who lived on a farm. They had all kinds of legal documents written up by lawyers to protect one another, they had power of attorneys in case each other got sick so that the other could care for them, a will, and so on. Even legal documents that would take care of their property and other arrangements for their kids should anything happen to either or both of them. Everything was verified, signed by both people, the lawyer, a witness, and notarized. It all seemed to be official. So when the man lost his beloved to cancer, the kids and he felt like everything would alright. After the funeral, however, the family of the deceased challenged the will and legal documents saying that they were invalid because it was "similar" to marriage and in our State not only is there a ban on same-sex marriage, there is a State Constitutional Amendment. Well the courts not only agreed, they declared the legal documents in valid because they did not include enough witness signatures. All the property was seized and given over to that family thus leaving the kids and the man's partner with nothing but was in his name alone.

It is situations like these that has caused homosexuals to request civil marriage. We have tried to follow the other rules that "religious" people have said we can take to secure the safety of our loved ones, our families, and our property. Money and time has been spent on legal documents, lawyer fees, and so much more just as we were instructed. And yet even these were challenged by these "religious" people and the courts, with new discriminatory laws created and discriminatory amendments made, have sided with these people and stripped away at even our basic ability to secure and protect our families, loved ones, and property.

What else are we supposed to do? The government we pay taxes to, that we are citizens of, continues to deny us the ability to protect those we love. For homosexuals this IS NOT about religion. We already have religious marriage. Our religious institutions that we belong to and participate in already grant us religious marriage. This is about social justice, human dignity, and the ability to be able to provide legal protections for those that we love and care about. This is about Civil Equality.

I hope this helps you understand.

Peace be with you.

Answer 2

Maybe because they are HUMAN.

Atheists get married. Senior citizens get married. People in open marriages get married.

Why don't you ask why everyone wants to get married?

People can even have children without getting married. Do they only do it for the benefits?

Perhaps homosexuals wish to have their commitment to each other recognized by the community. Just as a heterosexual couples commitment is legally recognized. They want their partners to be able to make decisions for them, in case they are unable to. They wish to establish a relation of family with another person. Do we demand that other couples reveal the reason they desire marriage? No, we just assume that they have a legitimate reason, and allow them to get married.

Religion did not create marriage. Even many religions which value celibacy perform marriages because they realize there is a fundamental human need for this type of relationship and commitment. So this need is legitimized and allowed expression within the church, not the opposite way around, as you propose.

Also,our government is based on separation of Church and State,and marriage is a civil institution. My marriage was officiated by a judge.

Is it really so hard to believe that they might have their own personal motivations for marrying? That these are more important than "spiting" heterosexuals? Is this how you explain the Civil Rights Movement, that blacks wanted to express their spite against sitting in the back of the bus?

I feel deeply honored whenever an acquaintance introduces a same sex partner to me. I realize that they are exposing themselves to the type of scrutiny and discrimination that you are expressing.

Please reflect upon these issues.

Answer 3

We want equal rights like everyone else. We also want to be able to have the same benefits of marriage when it comes to society and work. We dont want to be treated differently just because we like the same sex and not the opposite sex. It is still a union between two people to be faithful and good to each other. Call it marriage, a union or whatever you like, its discrimination if we cant get the same rights as others just because society "feels" its not the right way to live. Not too long ago African Americans couln't get fair rights and rarely any whites believed that they should. Now its against the homosexuals. This country has a pattern and its to dislike anyone that is not like them. Fair rights is not a big thing to ask. Especially since we are hard working citizens of this country who pay taxes and contribute just like everyone else.

Answer 4

Homosexuals want to marry so that they can have the same rights that heterosexuals have in a legally binding marriage. Marriage was founded upon religious terms, true, but it has also grown to substitute many legal terms and is part of the law system as much as anything else. Homosexual have to file separate taxes, they cannot visit each other in hospitals, and they cannot have the right to marry which would only prove to them that they are equal, and not 2nd class citizens.

Answer 5

I believe that they do not really care if they are married at all.

What they really want is to compel a business to conduct business differently than the stated rules of that business.

For example, if a so called homosexual relationship wanted legal rights to property and such, they could just go to a lawyer and draw up the needed paperwork.

But , what they have not been able to yet accomplish, is to compel businessess to change the rules and allow them to purchase some items that they would like.

For example, one works at a company that has established new rules to include domestic partners, but another couple works for companies that do not provide this benefit.

They really want to compel the companies to provide the benefit.

SO, it was and is not about LOVE or anything else except economics, but alas economics does not make for sensational media stories, so LOVE it is.

Answer 6

It's not love, nor is it just for the benefits. Its for equality. When the seperate but equal Crow laws came out, people were wondering the same things. Why did Blacks want to get integrated? Why did they want to take part in events alongside those who hated them and enslaved them. Obviously it is because there should be no separation between rights of people. Universal rights that are presented to you, should be presented to me, and should be presented to gay individuals. Its not a matter of marriage, its a matter of separation. Being seperate but equal is not good enough, race relations, and gay relations will only get better when we realize that they are people like you me, and more so because they dont try to judge your life or mine.

Answer 7

gays have every right to do the things that normal people do...just because they believe differently doesn't mean anything...and if that bothers you then you need to open up a little bit, stop being so damned close minded. noone likes a bible-beater.....but it should be their right...because marriage is an institution in today's society, not just a religious aspect...so, they should have every right to if they choose to...and if you just consider it something that religion 'made up' then why should atheists be allowed marriage? IS that really any different?

Answer 8

It's primarily for legal and health care reasons. Insurance through work is available for married people, medical decisions are made by family and married people, tax breaks are available for married people. If you are in a committed relationship for a long period of time, and your "mate" goes to the hospital for a serious life threatening illness, since you are not family nor married you are excluded for any care decisions due to legal restrictions.

Answer 9

I don't know that most gay people are opposed to religious people. In fact most of them I know have very strong religious views. I would suppose they would want to marry for the same reasons most people do. Love, happiness, money, kids extra.

Answer 10

Christianity/God did not make marriage, humans did. Marriage is no longer a religious event.

The main reason is to recognize legalization of homosexuality.

This will not lead for incest marriages to happen, even though some fundmentalists believe so despite their belief that Cain married his sister.

Answer 11

Exactly the same reasons straight people want to get married...to celebrate their committment to each other...also the legal rights are very important..rights to the home, inheritance, visitation rights in hospital when your loved one is ill or maybe dying...same as anybody.