Reid+and+Landon

@http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/us/supreme-court-same-sex-marriage-case.html?pagewanted=all


 * //Abstract://**
 * Landon and I, are doing our current event project on an article we found on the //New York Times// Website called, "Justices Say Time May Be Wrong For Gay Marriage Case." This article is from today's paper (3/26/13) and is about the rising Proposition 8, which is basically a law that will allow same sex marriages. Many gay marriage cases emerged in California (where same sex marriages is banned), and many supporters have pushed for this proposition to be approved by the Supreme Court in hopes of a law that will allow people of the same gender to marry one another across America which is currently not allowed. However the problem as stated in this excerpt from the article, is that by putting this matter in the case of the Supreme Court, the final ruling will apply to all 50 states rather than just California and the other 9 states that have domestic partnership laws. "Justices who appeared sympathetic to same-sex marriage indicated that there was no principled way to issue a ruling that could apply only in California or only in the nine states that have robust civil union or domestic partnership laws but withhold the word “marriage.” This matter has been pushed so heavily by its supporters that it has wound up in the hand of 6 Justices that feel that this topic of gay marriages is too young and early to have a final decision made on it. Although the topic deserves great attention to detail, the Justices feel that it is in the best interest of the people that this topic is dismissed until a further time when this matter is able to be evaluated on a grander scale. What I found interesting, is that the article mentions that nearly 40,000 kids in California alone have parents of the same gender who because they aren't officially "married" do not have an identity to label their "parents" as. In addition, various states have different exceptions of legal marriages than others which makes the issue more complicated.**


 * //Discussion Questions://**
 * 1. Do you think Proposition 8 should be passed?**
 * 2. Why do you think Propostion 8 should be passed?**
 * 3. Who do you think should decide whether Proposition 8 should be passed or not?**
 * 4. If Proposition 8 is passed, would it change the way you view homosexuals?**

//**__Reid's Reaction:__**// As far as the topic goes, I have always believed in a male/female marriage. I'm very stubborn and blunt with my opinions on this matter so my interest in this article was more on the argument itself rather than the whole issue with the possible dismissal of the case. I agree with the justices that this whole issue needs to be looked into with greater detail because it would be in the best interest of society that there is one law, and one law only that applies to every single person in every single state. Rushing a decision and allowing the influence of very passionate supporters could lead to some huge ramifications down the road as far as gender roles and equality in society. Personally, I don't understand how various states can have different laws than others because it just provides loopholes for those who are determined enough to get what they want. I do feel really bad for all the children who have to deal with the struggles and differences of a lack of identity that comes with having same gendered parents because I know it can be tough. Some will argue that you can control who you are attracted to, and others the opposite, but at the end of the day, regardless of whether Proposition 8 is accepted or denied, people will do as they please. If they can't be officially be married or recognized as a spouse, it shouldn't affect how they feel about the other person.

//**__Landon's Reaction:__**// This topic is an interesting one indeed. In my opinion, the whole push for same sex marriage is going way too fast and the Supreme Court justices should dismiss this case until later. I say this because just because a few states want to legalize same sex marriage doesn't mean that the rest of the states want to as well. Also, six justices determining the fate of hundreds of thousands of people seems sorta outrageous to me. You have to take in account not only how it will affect the adults but also the how it affects the lives of children. Am I proposing to ignore the children who are struggling with their identities because the parents are the same gender? No, but I am saying that if we rush this decision then repercussions will surely arise and we will find ourselves in a tighter situation later on.