Sullivan vs. Bennett Essay -- Gay Marriage Homosexuality Essays

Sullivan vs. Bennett The two texts examined within, present the opposing extremes of views regarding gay and lesbian marriage. The first text entitled Let Gays Marry by Andrew Sullivan examines the intricacies of same sex relationships and why homosexual couples should be allowed to publicly show affection for one another. The second text that will be examined is titled Leave Marriage Alone written by William Bennett. Bennett gives his views on why couples of same sex nature should not be allowed to engage in marital relations. These two authors, although very different, each has a view of the ideals of marriage, and how it should be presented to the public. Sullivan, a proponent of same sex marriages is a firm believer that gay and lesbian couples should be treated as equals in society and no different than anyone else. Many people are afraid of the effects that same sex marriages may have on our culture, and Sullivan explains that gay men and women are no different from anyone else in society as far as political and moral beliefs are concerned. These people are not out to change America as a whole, they just want the freedom to decide and to do as they wish. Sullivan explains that homosexuals want the right to marry for the same reasons as anyone else and that the lobbying of gays in America, for marriage, is not to destroy our moral system or who we are, they just want to be able to devote to one another as a regular couple does. Same sex marriage may seem, to some, a crazy idea as marriage in this country is built on the foundation of a man and a woman marrying, but Sullivan points out that until recent centuries marriage was a contract into which a woman entered so that she would be controlled by her husba... ... to agree on the fact that the issue at hand is one of religion. Religion seems to be the deciding factor right now when it comes to the question of what is right and what is wrong. Both authors see religion as the main concern when the question of homosexual marriage is brought up. So as each has very different ideals for society as a whole, both Bennett and Sullivan try to represent the happiness of the people as a whole, in their own ways. The two authors present very different points of view and each has well thought out reasoning behind what he has to say. Although the authors feel very different about how marriage should exist and how it should be regulated, there is some common ground between the authors. Citations †¢ Sullivan, Andrew. Let Gays Marry. United States: Random, 2002 †¢ Bennett, William. Leave Marriage Alone. United States: Random, 2002