Gay Marriage: Rights & Morality

According to Dictionary.com:

moral:

of, pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong; ethical: moral attitudes.

dignity:

elevated rank, office, station, etc.

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

ARTICLE 1... All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Proponents of homosexual marriage are demanding that homosexuals be treated equally in dignity as heterosexuals.

Opponents of homosexual marriage are demanding that the dignity of heterosexuals be elevated higher than the dignity of homosexuals.

ARTICLE 2... Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Proponents of homosexual marriage are demanding that one's rights, freedoms, and potentials not be based on the distinction of any kind, specifically the distinction of one's physiology.

Opponents of homosexual marriage are demanding that one's rights, freedoms, and potentials are necessarily tied to the distinction of one's physiology.

ARTICLE 3... Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Proponents of homosexual marriage are demanding the maximum security of the homosexual person.

Opponents of homosexual marriage are reluctantly allowing the minimum security of the homosexual person.

ARTICLE 6... Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Proponents of homosexual marriage see persons.

Opponents of homosexual marriage see orientations.

ARTICLE 7... All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Proponents of homosexual marriage demand equal legal protection for homosexuals as for heterosexuals.

Opponents of homosexual marriage demand greater legal protection for heterosexuals than for homosexuals.

ARTICLE 12... No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Proponents of homosexual marriage demand that the interference with a homosexual's "privacy, family, home or correspondence, [and] attacks upon his honour and reputation" stop immediately.

Proponents of homosexual marriage demand that the law protect the homosexual from this interference.

Opponents of homosexual marriage are in constant interference with a homosexual's "privacy, family, home or correspondence."

Opponents of homosexual marriage are constantly attacking the honour and reputation of homosexually-headed families.

Opponents of homosexual marriage demand that it is such their attacks that should not receive interference with the law (i.e. "You have no right to teach society's children about gay marriage in a non-negative light!")

ARTICLE 16... (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. (3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Proponents of homosexual marriage demand this right for homosexuals -- including being a part of "the natural and fundamental group unit of society."

Opponents of homosexual marriage demand that this right is not a right of a homosexual -- proclaiming a family is distinctly based on physiology. (See Article 2.)

ARTICLE 22... Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Proponents of homosexual marriage demand the national effort, social and cultural rights, etc. allow a homosexual the free development of his personality -- with dignity.

Opponents of homosexual marriage demand national effort detriment a homosexual's ability to freely develop his personality -- especially with dignity.

ARTICLE 28... Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Proponents of homosexual marriage are demanding this social and international order.

Opponents of homosexual marriage are demanding that the rights set forth in this Declaration should not be fully realized by the homosexual.

ARTICLE 29... (1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.

Proponents of homosexual marriage are demanding that the homosexual be allowed the possibility to freely and fully develop his personality.

Opponents of homosexual marriage are demanding that the homosexual be denied the free and full development of his personality.

ARTICLE 29... (2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.

Proponents of homosexual marriage are demanding that "the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society" -- specifically that which is deemed wrong -- be indistinct of anything save that which is proven to detriment society and infringe upon any of these Universal Rights.

Opponents of homosexual marriage are demanding that "the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society" -- specifically that which is deemed wrong -- be distinctly based upon their religious beliefs. (See Article 2.)

According to the American Psychological Association:

Not a single study has found children of lesbian or gay parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents. Indeed, the evidence to date suggests that home environments provided by lesbian and gay parents are as likely as those provided by heterosexual parents to support and enable children's psychosocial growth.

Proponents of homosexual marriage are actively looking at the actual effects of homosexual couples raising children.

Opponents of homosexual marriage refuse to acknowledge the actual effects of homosexual couples raising children, not only dismissing research but also (more starkly and importantly) defaming and profaning the honour and reputation of these actual families performing as equally as the families raised by heterosexual couples. (See Article 12.)


Conclusively: Opposing homosexual marriage legally is a gross infringement upon the Unversal Rights of the homosexual whose personality, dignity, honour, etc. includes marriage to one of the same sex.

Conclusively: Equating homosexual marriage to heterosexual marriage in no way infringes upon anyone's Universal Rights.

Homosexual marriage does not degrade heterosexual marriage in any way.

Indeed, homosexual marriage would give homosexual persons (again, specifically the homosexual whose free and full development of personality includes partnering with someone of the same sex in order to form a family) the same dignity, respect, honour, rights, etc. as the heterosexual counterpart.

And that is precisely the point -- and why you should support the legal equality of homosexual marriage.

You may believe whatever you will concerning what is right and wrong in the eyes of God.

You may not, however, deny anyone of any Universal Rights based on these beliefs. Such is unjust. Such is immoral. Such is ungodly -- even according to the religious beliefs of those who oppose homosexual marriage.

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