GENRE TRANSLATION

ALAN CORADO
PROFESSOR PACKER
ENGLISH 2010; 5:30
APRIL 25TH, 2015

History of Same-Sex Marriage

On October 10th of
1972, the Baker vs.
Nelson case became
one of the first
controversial cases of
denial of same-sex
marriage in the
Minnesota Supreme
Court.

On May 17th of 2004,

Massachusetts becomes the first
state to fully recognize and
legalize same-sex marriage. This
in turn lead to 36 more states
legalizing same-sex marriage in
years to come.

Henry Gerber was the founder of

the first ever gay-rights
organization founded in Chicago
(December 10th, 1924).

Discrimination

Texas is still one of 13 states left that have not fully legalized same-sex marriage.

Under Texas laws; it does not have a current law that addresses discrimination against
students based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Under Texas laws; it does not have neither a ban on insurance exclusions for transgender
healthcare nor does it provide transgender-inclusive health benefits to state employees.

Texas Solicitor General Jonathan Mitchell states, It is certainly rational to fear that
allowing gay marriage could undermine heterosexual marriages.

David Mcneel Lane, an attorney for Texas plantiffs counters this argument by saying,
Everyone knows this is a moral disapproval of homosexuality, [that] the reality is that
my clients live every day under the cloud of stigma.

Civil Union vs. Marriage

A marriage is a cultural and legal institution binding an individual with their life partner to
convey the most ultimate form of love and commitment.

A Civil Union is a legal status created to provide legal protection to couples at the state law
level but is not protected under federal protections.

The issue regarding civil unions is that only a few numbers of states recognize them. When
faced with a divorce in a civil union in a different state, there is no way to establish that in a
state that doesnt respect nor recognize a civil union, forcing the individuals to remain or move
to a state that does.

When the individual asked in what status is in when in a civil union; they fit neither the
married nor single category. If misrepresented on an official document, an individual could
be tried with fraud and could potentially face some serious criminal penalties (Defenders).

Conclusion

Events from our past have truly shaped our future. There are those
mere few whom establish themselves in human history as being
courageous and bold such as Henry Gerber. Keeping the hope of those
few and converting them into positive energy for the future is the key
to success. Humans contain the feature of dedication, especially for
something they utterly believe in. Ignorance is bliss but hope and love
will always prevail even in the face of adversity.

Works Cited

http://www.algbtical.org/sym14.png

http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w-620/h--/q-95/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/au
dio/video/2013/3/26/1364307351693/Supreme-court-gay-marriag-010.jpg

http://37500793.weebly.com/uploads/1/5/3/5/15358344/6717451.gif

http://www.glhalloffame.org/images/240x300/gerber18.JPG

http://www.wgbh.org/imageassets/0921thankyou1.jpg