Gay Marriage Should Be Legal - 1480 Words

Currently, the Webster’s New World Dictionary defines the word married as being husband and wife, yet there are millions of gay activists who are fighting for a new meaning. They believe marriage is more than a piece of paper and a set of rings. The hope is that marriage could be defined as a â€Å"public recognition of a private commitment† or â€Å"emotional, financial, and psychological bond† between two people (Sullivan 53). Gay activists believe that taking away the ability to have a publicly recognized relationship or an accepted union is an infringement of their public equality. However, non-supporters of this cause believe that gay marriage is â€Å"an attack on the institution of marriage† (Capello 25). These dissenting opinions are what†¦show more content†¦Sullivan develops his argument with a series of problem and solution type sections towards many of the common counterarguments against gay marriage. Sullivan’s purpose in his piece is to answer many counter arguments and debug the myths and stereotypes regarding homosexuals and homosexual marriage in order to give the reader several facts to base their opinion on and possibly even gain support for gay marriage rights. Sullivan employs a scholarly like tone, simply stating the holes in counterarguments and stating the reasons why by using facts and little bias, gaining the audience’s trust. The major argument in Gays and Lesbians Should Be Allowed to Marry is that there is no legitimate reason to withhold the right to a legal marriage from two deeply in love people, be it a man and a woman or a man and a man or a woman and a woman. To get his readers to believe him, Sullivan uses a wonderful use of logos by stating simple fact with little to no bias in most sections of this piece. By stating many counterarguments, like if gays should raise children, he catches the attention of the reader and clears up the myths they might have heard. One idea that some government officials, like Marilyn Musgrave, believe in is that a law should withhold marriage rights from gays. The controversial part of this is that laws are made to protect minorities, not limit