The Undesirables

Fernando Mota

Professor Bonnie

English 125-019

December 10, 2012

            Raised into a family that has had beliefs instilled into them from older generations is not always ideal for those that have become more modernized.  New customs that have been recently introduced to these older generation families are most of the time frowned upon.  A good example of this would be the existence of same sex couples as well as same sex couples fighting to marry.  Gays are not welcomed with open arms into such families. 

I, myself, was raised in a family that matched those beliefs.  My family consists of my father, my mother, my three older sisters, my older brother, and my younger brother.  I am the first in our family to be born in the United States.  Neither my father nor my mother is accustomed to all of new environments and people that we are now around in this new country.  They are both used to the old customs of our culture and can be quite stubborn to change.  Gay couples were not an exception.  My parents did not agree with the ideas that people of the same sex can be together.  By some twist of fate, my parents were shocked to learn that one of their daughters is gay.  Immediately, my father took action and disowned his eighteen year old daughter.  My father could not bare the fact that his own daughter was a lesbian.  He was disgusted.  My sister fled her home and went off to live in California.

I suppose that some people don’t give up old mindsets nor open up to the new reality that same sex couples are becoming quite prevalent.  Of course, it does not help that gays have been portrayed in the past to be a bad thing.

Thats so Gay - Photo [3]

Whenever something unpleasant was to happen, people would call the situation gay.  They would not mean that the situation is homosexual but instead they would give the word “gay,” an alternative definition; in this reference, they would have the word mean  "something that you find stupid, dumb, idiotic, pointless, and or annoying.”[1]  "That's so gay" has been part of the adolescent lexicon for some time."[2]  This being said, it is obvious as to why same sex couples are looked at as being a negative thing.    This thought is one of the main reasons as to why people are not allowing same sex couples to marry. 

I argue that we should make it a federal law to allow same sex couples to marry in the United States.  This law would bring forth justice to America.  Not allowing gays to marry would make for an unequal balance of power in the country.  It would mean that the U.S. would be favoring the heterosexuals more than others.  John Stuart Mill, a philosopher, wrote that “…it is, by universal admission, inconsistent with justice to be partial; to show favor or preference to one person over another, in matters to which favor and preference do not properly apply,”  [4].  John Stuart Mill says that it is not fair if you show preference to one person over another.  If you are showing preference to heterosexuals over gays then it is not justice.  According to that quote, it is suggestive that Mill would agree that it would be just for gays to be allowed to marry.  

Some people would say that gay marriage should not be legal because they believe that people would get married just for health insurance benefits or other benefits that can be gained through marriage[5].  These people claim that allowing gays to marry would provoke people to just get married to obtain those benefits, thus to commit a fraud.  I, in turn, argue that people already commit these frauds today as heterosexual couples.  Investigators are sent out to see who are those that are getting married because of love and those who are getting married because of benefits.  The same thing can be done to those that are gay and married.  There would be no change to that system of fraud detection. 

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry [6]

Martin Luther King defines justice as being equality [7] .  Therefore, in order to obtain equality, gays must have the same rights that everyone else has; ergo the right to marry.  The right to marry, whether same sex or opposite sex, should be a universal right to all in the country, in order to achieve greater justice.

What some do not realize is that gays have contributed greatly to this country. 

Famous Gays [8]

As you can see, gays have made contributions to this country that some cannot live without.  They are doctors and lawyers that have saved lives.  It may be possible that you may find your own life saved by one of them.    If one does not think it in that manner, than I also argue that their contributions to this world has earned them a right to get married.  Gays should be allowed to marry in order to obtain true equality. 

Years after my sister had left to California, my father realized the error of his ways.  He called my sister to apologize but she did not answer.  My father simply left a voice mail apologizing for his ignorance.  He feared that he has lost his daughter due to his narrow mindedness. Three days after the phone call, a knock is heard at the door.  My father opens the door only to find that my sister had came home.  She was not alone.  A woman stood next to her holding her hand.  My father gave them a hug and said, "Bienvenido a la familia, Marcela!" 

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Works Cited

[1]  Turner, Tyler. "Urban Dictionary: Gay." Urban Dictionary. N.p., 22 Mar. 2008. Web. 8 Dec. 2012. <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gay>.

[2]  "'That's So Gay' Phrase Has Lasting Impact For LGBT Youth, Study Finds."Huffingtonpost.com. N.p., 28 Aug.. 2012. Web. 08 Dec. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/28/thats-so-gay-phrase-impact-lgbt-youth_n_1837330.html>

[3]  Brandonaz. "LGBT That's so Gay." That's so Gay. BuzzMedia Entertainment, Nov. 2012. Web. 08 Dec. 2012. <http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/lgbt/images/32624188/title/thats-gay-photo>.

[4]  Mill, John Stuart. "Utilitarianism." Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://www.utilitarianism.com/mill1.htm>.

[5]  "The Gay Marriage Fraud." Topix. N.p., 13 May 2011. Web. 8 Dec. 2012. <http://www.topix.com/forum/state/mn/T4AN1J9A8NGLH2TJ1>.

[6]  Ipronounceyou. "I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry." YouTube. YouTube, 19 July 2007. Web. 8 Dec. 2012.

[7]  King, Martin Luther, Jr. "Letter From Birmingham Jail." N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. 

<http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/letter_birmingham_jail.pdf>.

[8]  Wurstol1. "Famous Gays in History." YouTube. YouTube, 28 July 2008. Web. 8 Dec. 2012.