Legalisation of Gay Marriage and Acceptance

Gay people don’t feel accepted within their community. How can legalising gay marriage help

Legalisation, taking away the taboos that surround illegality, is the first step to social acceptance. Humans, as social animals, crave acceptance. It fuels their sense of identity and provides them with a sense of belonging. The gay community, much like every other sub community within society, craves for the acceptance of their integration into society, a validation that they and their relationships are equal to those of others in the community, as sacred. This validation can only come in the form of legalising gay marriage, a validation that could bring about the end of discrimination and inequality, and bring about social acceptance, which is key in bringing about self-acceptance, and even pride in regards to one’s identity. The choice to love and marry who they wish, a fundamental right of every citizen, one that has been contested and won when inter racial marriages were considered illegal is still a struggle for many in gay communities. This discrimination, depriving same sex couples of the equal dignity offered to others often leads to nothing but hurt, as they are made to feel like second class citizens, unworthy of the rights that others have. In many cases this could lead to a negative sense of identity, low self-worth and even depression. The suicide rates amongst the gay community is two to three times higher than it is within the heterosexual community, further emphasising the need for the implementation of gay marriage. Legalising gay marriage is not simply allowing for equal marriage rights, it is a step forward in allowing acceptance, integration, and even approval. Approval that young gay members of the society, struggling to come to terms with their sexuality dearly need.  By excluding marriage rights for the gay community, we are not only allowing for discrimination at a legal level, we are conveying a message that it is okay to discriminate based on sexual orientation at a social level, as legality and social acceptance often go hand in hand.

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