What
is marriage? According to Webster Dictionary marriage is the state of being
united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and
contractual relationship recognized by law. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary,
2009) In the Christian faith the book of
Genesis 1:27 states “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God
He created him; male and female He created them.” (Holy Bible) This idea has
been of marriage has been discussed in many different forums, and within in
this pass year New York City was one of the first state to legalize same-sex
marriage. Many people say this was an
economical decision on the part of government, but many religious people feel
as if this is the dwindling down of religion as the backbone of our existence.
Gay marriage issue has always been a heavily debated and controversial issue;
many people either side with liberal views or its counterpart of being
conservative. I believe all humans should have the right to marriage no matter
what their sexual identity. Personally I think this just makes New York more
diverse and appeal to more people across all walks of life, which in turn will
bring more revenue to our beautiful state.
Thanks
in part to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, Gay
Marriage or Same-sex marriage became officially legal in New York on July 24,
2011. Ever since the 1970’s, gay couples have been trying to fight for the
rights to marry but have been denied due to the courts stance that, marriage is
defined as being between a man and a woman.
Here in New York we have a very large and openly gay and lesbian
community whom contribute to our economic stability like any other New Yorker.
Gays and lesbians have been striving for equality for quite some time, and
gained a lot of media recognition during the Stonewall Riots of 1969 which was
a turning point for the civil rights of gays. The Stonewall riots were violent
demonstrations by members of the gay community against a police raid that took
place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the
Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. The Stonewall rebellion was a
defining moment in the history of the gay rights movement. That uprising awakened gay men and lesbians
to the idea that they were being attacked as a group. That, in turn, awakened
them to the idea that they needed to organize as a group. Advocacy and lobbying
groups mushroomed after Stonewall, and now include everything from nonprofit
groups mounting anti-discrimination advertising campaigns to political action
committees to housing and health-related initiatives. (NY Times, 2009)
New
York Times article, Gay Marriage: A Milestone (2011) reads, “It is a proud
moment for New Yorkers, thousands of whom took to the streets on Sunday to
celebrate this step forward. But this moment does not erase the bigotry against
gays and lesbians enshrined in the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which
denies federal recognition of same-sex marriages and allows any state to refuse
to recognize another state’s union.”(NY Times 2011) Although this is a huge
step in New York City daily life for Gays and Lesbians this is not the end of the
road. Gays and Lesbian couples are still unable to apply for Federal benefits. There
are over 1,000 benefits, rights and protections provided on the basis of
marital status in Federal law, even if legally married in New York they will
not be considered spouses for purpose of federal law. Social Security is one of
the federal benefits that Americans pay into all their working lives and cannot
receive the same amount of benefits as a heterosexual marriage, so who are we
to tell these people they cannot marry and deny healthcare and funding to these
people?
Most
recent in the newspaper the New York City economy has increased by $259 million
in first year. Since gay marriage was legalized in New York State a year ago,
marriage license fees, local celebrations and wedding-related purchases have
boosted New York City's economy by $259 million, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced Tuesday. (CNNMoney, 2012) This is
a great economic boost for New York City, being one of the most liberal cities
i the world you can see people of every diversity. Gays and Lesbians pay the
same taxes and now since the law was passed, and increase the revenue for many
business such as catering halls, jewelers and lawyers whom supply these
services. What I have been questioning for so long is why same-sex marriage was
not done sooner? What makes gay New Yorkers love any different from
heterosexual love? Love is a strong affection for another arising out of
kinship or personal ties (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2009).
In conclusion Gay
and Lesbian marriages help boost New York economy and helps transform New York
into a more diverse and appealing location for all types of people. New York is
the place of opportunity and I am just excited that we are one of the first six
states to legalize marriage and give gays and lesbians a chance to share and express
their love just like any other heterosexual marriage. I hope to see more
progress within New York gay and lesbian population to continue to strive for
more equality by lobbying and protesting until equality is available to all
relationships in New York City.
1.
Baynes, T. (2012, October 18). Appeal court in
NY rules gay marriage law unconstitutional. Chicago Tribune
2.
Ellis, B. (2012, July 24). Gay Marriage boosts
NYC's economy by $259 Million in first year. CNNMoney
3.
Gay Marriage: A milestone. (2011, June 27). New
York Times
4.
Stonewall Rebellion. (2009, April 10). The
New York Times.
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