Final Paper for Ethics Class

Our society, culture, and law gradually change as civilization becomes more globalized.

These changes are often due to the alteration in the demands, needs, and perspectives of every

individual. Over the years, we have observed many people fighting and advocating for equality

between people of a different gender. The fight for gender equality has been very loud from the

19th century up to the present. Among the powerhouse events in history is the fight for LGBTQ

rights which was ignited by the June 1969 riots at New York City’s Stonewall Inn (Pruitt, 2020).

The month of June then became widely recognized around the world as Pride Month where

members of the LGBTQ community organize protests and parades to inspire resilience, foster,

hope and celebrate progress (Gieselman, 2019). One cause that the community is fighting for is

the right to be in a relationship with the same gender and the right to same-sex marriage.

Denying same-sex marriage may be viewed as a form of discrimination. Almost all same-sex

couples surely desire the privilege to openly celebrate and announce their union and commitment

with their partner. But can we consider same-sex union as a moral act? Will a same-sex couple

still be moral people if they engage themselves in such an act?

The global age is now composed of generations that are more tolerant of homosexuality.

A lot of same-sex couples are now out and proud. On social media, we can find many contents

about same-sex couples coming out and being open to their friends and family. All of these

means that the LGBTQ community’s voice has been heard and has been slowly being

recognized. Felter and Renwick (2020) wrote that there are twenty-nine countries, including the

United States, where same-sex marriage has already been legalized, and civil unions are

recognized in many Western democracies. On May 26, 2020, Costa Rica which is located in

central America, became the most recent addition to the list of countries that honors same-sex
marriage (Tang & Hauler, 2020). Despite growing support for same-sex marriage, there are still

a lot of countries where such activity is still forbidden like the Philippines where the majority of

the people are Catholic. The Catholic Church teaches that homosexual acts are intrinsically

disordered and homosexual people should practice chastity (Diamant, 2020). Despite what the

church teaches, Pope Francis has called on a documentary for the creation of civil union laws

giving support to the rights of same-sex couples breaking the official teaching of the Roman

Catholic Church (Harlan et al., 2020). The Pope’s statement gave the entire LGBTQ community

hope for a more tolerant and accepting future.

Homosexuals are courageous people who choose to fight for the acceptance of their

existence. They all deserve to be respected for the choices they’ve made and the paths they chose

to conquer. Instead of discrimination, they deserve to be understood by society. Respect begets

respect, therefore as long as homosexuals do what is good, there is no reason for them and their

decision to not be respected. Duignan (2021) stated that there exists a theory that considers a

certain action or choice right if it tends to promote happiness or pleasure and wrong if it tends to

produce unhappiness or pain, the Theory of Utilitarianism. This theory promotes respect for

individuals’ choices in life. If choosing to live as a homosexual makes an individual happy, then

it can be considered as good or moral. One’s sexual orientation doesn’t have to concern anyone

aside from the self, thus, this choice could not be bad since it should not be making the majority

unhappy. As for same-sex relationships, as long as couples are happy with their relationship and

people close to them are happy for them, then they will remain moral according to the theory of

utilitarianism. Both homosexuality and same-sex relationships don’t necessarily promote

mischief, pain, evil, or unhappiness so considering these two immoral have a groundless basis.
 Equality is very much needed in the world we live in. Regardless of gender, every

individual has their capacities, capabilities, talents, and intelligence. No gender could define the

worth of an individual. Homosexual relationships are something that is in need to be normalized.

Every individual has the right to choose what would make them happy. If one is happy to be with

someone of the same gender, it is his/her right to make that decision. People who choose what

makes them or others happy are moral people. The LGBTQ community needs to be treated fairly

and equally in society. Whether we like it or not, they are human beings created by the same

Creator who made the straight community. Respecting and accepting them would promote a

more peaceful world, and a peaceful world would make the majority happy.

Diamant, J. (2020, November 2). How Catholics around the world see same-sex marriage,
homosexuality. PewResearchCenter. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-
 tank/2020/11/02/how-catholics-around-the-world-see-same-sex-marriage-
homosexuality/. Accessed 11 April 2021.

Duigan, B. (2021, March 2). Utilitarianism Philisophy. Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/utilitarianism-philosophy. Accessed 11 April 2021.

Felter, C. & Renwick, D. (2020, June 23). Same-Sex Marriage: Global Comparisons. Council on
Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/same-sex-marriage-global-
comparisons#:~:text=freedom%20from%20discrimination.- ,United
%20States,states%20where%20it%20remained%20banned. Accessed 11 April 2021.

Gieselman, N. (2019, June 28) Meet 3 Local Leaders Fighting For LGBTQ Equality. Global
Giving. https://www.globalgiving.org/learn/local-leaders-fighting-for-lgbtq-
equality/?gclid=CjwKCAjwx6WDBhBQEiwA_dP8rTvJn_jsGkj5r2qLc55_v3IiYnBRFN
nbk8W_cNHNMSBhMUEFaD9_VRoC2ocQAvD_BwE. Accessed 11 April 2021.

Harlan, C., Boorstein, M., & Pulliam, B. (2020, October 22). Pope Francis calls for civil union
laws for same-sex couples. WashingtonPost.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/pope-francis-civil-
unions/2020/10/21/805a601c-139e-11eb-a258-614acf2b906d_story.html. Accessed 11
April 2021.

Pruiit, S. (2020, June 1). What Happened At The Stonewall Riots? A timeline of the 1969 uprisin.
HISTORY. https://www.history.com/news/stonewall-riots-timeline. Accessed 11 April
2021.

Tang, E. & Hauler, L. (2020, June 18). Here are the 29 countries where same-sex marriage is
officially legal. Good Morning America.
https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/29-countries-sex-marriage-
officially-legal-56041136. Accessed 11 April 2021.