On Behalf of Unmarried Loving Couples

this is a speech i wrote on gay marriage (for it, of course) for my english class. and yes, i'm going to give it. (everyone knows i'm gay.)

I will open this speech with a question: who here plans to get married someday, with or without kids? I know you’ve heard this before for other reasons, but you are all so lucky. I envy you. If nothing changes by the time I want to get married, I will have to go to Massachusetts or Connecticut, to claim a right that you have everywhere. And why? Just because I don’t want to be married to a man. Not because I chose it, or deserve it; I’m not abnormal or my love less valid. Does it really make any sense that two people who love each other should be forbidden to marry?

 

These days, discrimination is a common topic. But does anyone ever mention the woman who is not allowed to see her girlfriend when she is dying in the hospital? If she had a boyfriend instead, she would be allowed to see him. How about the man with a job that provides insurance for him, but not for his male partner? The couple that can’t adopt children together because they are the same gender?

 

You may be thinking, “That’s not me or anyone I know. It’s not my problem; it’s not my battle to fight.” It may not be you; it may not be your problem; but it is your battle. It is your fight. As long as there is injustice done to one person, there is injustice done to the world. Spread the word. For some of you, even many of you, this is the first time someone is speaking seriously to you about this problem. That’s no way to win equal rights. Just because homophobia doesn’t directly affect everyone doesn’t mean it doesn’t directly affect someone. And everyone matters.

 

For those of you who are doubting me on that last statement, picture this: you have just started seventh grade in the Midwest. Your family is fairly religious and leaning towards anti-gay beliefs, but they are soooo liberal compared to the rest of your community. Every day at school, you hear “that’s so gay” at least twenty times per day, not to mention other phrases; the minister at your church has preached on homosexuality as a sin in the past. Then something changes: you find that the traditional heterosexual (straight) upbringing you were given doesn’t actually fit. You have a crush on someone of your own gender. You don’t tell your parents because you are afraid they will hate or disown you. You don’t tell anyone at school because you know you will get teased. There is no one like you to ask for advice, either.

Fast-forward about two decades. You still have feelings for people of your gender; it wasn’t a phase, like you had hoped. By now, you are just past thirty. You still haven’t told anyone that you’re gay, but your secret is getting harder and harder to conceal. You somehow managed to meet someone else, and think you are in love with them. You’d both like to get married, but even putting your money together, you can’t scrape together enough money to fly to the northeast. You know that your relationship isn’t any less meaningful than it would be if it was with someone of the opposite sex and that you are being treated unfairly. Every day, this gnaws at you. So when the one you love is hit by a car and ends up in critical condition at the hospital, you are not allowed to see them. The doctors won’t tell you if your partner has a good chance of living; they don’t know of your relationship because you can’t tell anyone.

 

This type of thing happens every day. It is allowed and permitted because of homophobia and unreasonable bans on gay marriage. Even worse than allowed, it goes by society unnoticed. The few voices there are for gay rights are dismissed as liberals, ahead of their time, or selfish because they are gay themselves. They aren’t just liberals, they are humanists. They aren’t ahead of their time; society is behind the times. They aren’t selfish; they are standing up for themselves and others. We as people have been encouraged to stand up for our peers and ourselves since kindergarten. Are we supposed to stop standing up when we grow up?

 

So why not let gays marry? It doesn’t hurt anyone. It doesn’t make heterosexual marriages any less valid. It’s not allowing gay marriage that hurts, that shows normal human beings that they are unworthy and their love invalid. It’s not allowing gay marriage that creates injustice and punishes people for something that’s not their fault.

 

Some argue that the Bible declares homosexuality an abomination. Granted, it does say that. However, it says it in Leviticus, the book with all the rules that no one follows anymore. Some examples: [read excerpts from Leviticus]. Some say that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah condemns homosexuality. In reality, the story is about bad manners and inhospitality. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because the travelers/angels in disguise were thrown out of a house. Even if these excerpts from the Bible said exactly what people interpreted them as, we as Americans try to follow a policy of separation of church and state. I would like to meet someone who can tell me that the Bible is not associated with religion, and although homophobia is a moral issue, the legality of gay marriage is now political. It is unconstitutional to back an argument of no gay marriage with an instrument of religion.

 

Another argument that is sometimes levered against gay marriage activists is that seeing homosexuality validated will tell the younger generation that gay is ok. To that, I have one thing to say: good! Gay is ok! The younger generation should receive that message. We want all children and youth to know that no matter who they are, they are worthwhile and valuable. Being actively shown that GLBTQ is a completely normal thing to be will help children, teens, and adults alike to accept themselves, their relatives, their friends, and their peers. Acceptance can help to build relationships and trust, which are encouraged by society. So this argument is true, but it’s really an argument for those who are for gay marriage, not against it.

 

One last argument against gay marriage is that it will increase the gay population. I’d really like to know how exactly it would do that. It’s not like gay parents only raise gay children; I mean, straight parents obviously don’t just raise straight kids. Gay marriage may increase the number of GLBTQ people who are out of the closet, but telling people or not doesn’t decide someone’s sexual orientation.

 

The problem with debating for gay marriage is that the other side’s arguments boil down to “it is wrong to be gay.” The whole idea of a debate is to present reasons to prove the other side wrong. However, if one side is being completely illogical, a civilized debate is impossible. “It is wrong to be gay” is not the slightest bit rational. It makes no more sense than slavery or segregation did. If you ask someone why it is wrong to be gay, you often get something along the lines of “I don’t know, it just is.” Anyone who can tell me that that is a rational argument needs to think things through a bit. “It just is” didn’t cut it for the civil rights or suffrage movements; it won’t cut it for the gay rights movement either.

 

On the other hand, arguments for gay marriage (and tolerance in general) go far beyond just countering the arguments of the other side. Allowing gays to get married goes along with “all men and women are created equal.” If some people are allowed to marry but others aren’t, they’re not equal.

 

There is no valid reason to forbid gay marriage. People may say that gays are a danger to society, or that being gay is just wrong, or that if you want to get married, why’d you choose to be gay? I’d like to know what exactly gays are doing that poses a threat to society and who specifically was doing it, so I could try to stop them. Gays aren’t trying to hurt or threaten anyone. All we want is to get married and get federal protection, just like everyone else has! I think we are entitled to that much. It would also be nice if someone could tell me what makes homosexuality “wrong.” It’s completely normal. Just like everything else, it’s right for some people and wrong for others. Just because it doesn’t work for every person on an intimate level doesn’t mean that it’s “wrong.” One thing I’d like people against gay marriage to know is that being gay is not a choice. I didn’t choose to like girls any more than most girls choose to like guys. That’s just the way things went. Why should I have to pay for something that I had no influence on? Why should I have to pay for something that’s not even bad? The answer is I shouldn’t. Gays shouldn’t be treated differently just because we are unconventional. So what—we like our own gender instead of the other one. There are still plenty of straight people; it has been estimated that about 10% of the population is GLBTQ. Two men or two women in love won’t hurt anyone; they’re just another couple. There are plenty of couples in America today who are completely accepted. There’s only one difference, and it only exists at a cellular level: chromosomes. The love between a man and a woman is the same love that is shared between two men or two women. There is no difference of emotions; there should be no difference in rights either.

Author's Note

this is my first speech, and i have no experience with speeches (giving or writing), so any advice or tips for improvement are appreciated. personally, i think i am too passionate on the subject to write a convincing essay, but that's just my opinion. to me, the whole thing seems like a rant. be honest; tell me what you really think on that.
and no gay-bashing please. if you have something against gays or gay marriage, message me and we can talk/type it out.

just a quick note on the Leviticus thing: i was going to cite the other ridiculous rules in that part of the bible to illustrate the concept that people choose which rules to obey and that the bible cannot reasonably be used to back up present-day arguments.

Reviews

[Satchmo's Gal]

WOW... I love it! I really have nothing to say except good luck.