The word marriage comes from the Old French word marier, meaning, to marry.  One definition is, "The legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife."  (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company. 2000.)  Of course, we Americans must take this simple thing and make it complicated.  How should we define marriage?  What about polygamy?  What about open marriages?  These are all contemporary issues.  However, the most prominent debate in recent history is in regard to sexual preference.  Should legal marriage be reserved only for one man and one woman?  Could society benefit from legal homosexual marriages?  I don't think so.

Samuel Freedman, a Journalism professor at Columbia University, wrote an editorial claiming that legal homosexual marriages would open the gate to social stability.  In his editorial, Freedman describes how he and his wife took their children to the wedding of two gay men.  The ritual carried no legal weight, but he wanted his family to attend because, it offered "a vision of the tolerant future I hoped would be[long to my children]."  (Freedman, Samuel G. Gay marriages open gate to social stability, USA Today 17 August 2003: http://www.usatoday.com)  He goes on to tell about the history of the gay rights movement and the errors of the Clinton administration regarding homosexuals.  He places blame on society for the AIDS epidemic, and even takes his arguments so far as to compare homosexuality to a religion and state that, like religion, it should be a protected freedom.  I agree that society has been unnecessarily cruel to homosexuals.  That, however, is the only instance in his editorial wherein any truth can be found.

As for this "tolerant future," Freedman wrote about in regard to his children, it is important to understand the difference between tolerance and acceptance.  Tolerance is merely the capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others.  Acceptance, on the other hand, is the act or process of accepting, implying a favorable reception with approval.  Let no one call me intolerant.  I have no problem respecting people who are different from me, but I cannot be accepting of a practice I know to be socially irresponsible and physically damaging. 

The author goes on to write, "whether it is a matter of biology or psychology, it [homosexuality] is clearly a part of the human equation."  There is no solid medical evidence to support this claim.  It actually goes against common sense.  If a 3-year old can put together a jigsaw puzzle, we as adults should be able to accurately determine what fits together and what obviously does not.    Freedman also likens the debate over legalizing homosexual marriage to the historical Brown vs. Board of Education case of the early 1950s.  There is really no similarity between the two.  A person has absolutely no control over the color of his/her skin.  Sexual preference is a choice. 

A popular misconception about homosexuality is that it is safe.  This is clearly not the truth.

Reports at a national conference about sexually transmitted diseases indicate that gay men are in the highest risk group for several of the most serious diseases. . . . Scientists believe that the increased number of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) cases is the result of an increase in risky sexual practices by a growing number of gay men who believe HIV is no longer a life-threatening illness.  (Roundy, Bill.  "STD Rates on the Rise," New York Blade News 15 December 2000: 1)

Medical side effects of homosexuality are often ignored.  Most people do not realize that homosexual activity increases the risk of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS, Human Papilloma Virus, Gonorrhea and Syphilis.  Homosexuals are also at risk from sexually transmitted gastrointestinal syndromes such as proctitis, proctocolitis, and enteritis which may cause severe pain, bloody rectal discharge, rectal spasms, severe cramping, intense diarrhea, fever, malabsorption of nutrients, and even unhealthy weight loss.  Add to all of this an increased cancer risk, shorter life expectancy, and higher suicide rate. (Dailey, Timothy J. THE NEGATIVE HEALTH EFFECTS OF HOMOSEXUALITY 2003: http://www.frc.org)  I dont think I need to go on.

            Homosexuality can also ruin family living. Lesbians are three times more likely to abuse alcohol and to suffer from other compulsive behaviors.  A study on lesbians has shown that 91% of the participants had abused drugs, 34% reported compulsive difficulties with food, 29% with codependency, 11% with sex (go figure), and 6% with money.  (Hall, Joanne. "Lesbians Recovering from Alcoholic Problems: An Ethnographic Study of Health Care Expectations," Nursing Research 43 (1994): 238244.)  It doesn't end there.  Violence is more common in homosexual relationships as well.  The incidence of domestic violence among gay men is nearly double that in the heterosexual population.  (Island, D. and Letellier, P. Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them: Battered Gay Men and Domestic Violence 1991. 14.)

            Now, I understand that the government can no better regulate homosexual activity than heterosexual activity; that is not their job.  They are responsible, however, for passing laws that benefit society.  Thirty-seven states have passed "Defense of Marriage Acts" banning homosexual marriage.  (Musgrave, Marilyn Marriage = Man + Woman, USA Today 4 August 2003: http://www.usatoday.com)  This is the way it needs to be because while homosexuals should not be shunned or hated, homosexuality is not good for society as a whole.

Put simply, homosexual marriages should not be legalized in America.  They are damaging to individuals as well as families, and are not good for society.  Let us hope that we as Americans can set aside our views, opinions, and prejudices to do what is right.