Modify the essay ,10 hrs,500 words at least

Bob Yang

Morality and Justice

5/25/2021

The Moral and Social Justice Challenge of including LGBT community in Society

Social justice is an attempt to ensure that all humans get the rights and opportunities that they deserve in their society. It aims to level the playing ground for all citizens. Governments must provide their citizens with the right to access to healthcare, safe living spaces, access to education, the right to marry, among others. The idea insists that humans have unalienable rights and no individual is more valuable than another. More importantly, the state has no right to alienate this right from citizens. The concept gained prominence during the 19th century, coinciding with an increase in the social mobility of citizens and the emergence of more middle-class citizens in Europe. The main social justice issues of the era were women’s rights to universal suffrage and the Civil Rights Movements of the 1950s and 1960s. Today, the inclusion of the LGBT community in society is a major social justice issue that creates moral dilemmas challenging to defend.

Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people face a lot of discrimination in society. They experience difficulties accessing fundamental rights, such as housing, public accommodations, and employment. Some western nations believe that same-sex marriages are morally defensible and should be legalized. The primary tool to use to champion this right is the need to respect the human rights of the people and leave private matters to the individuals to decide (Gerber et al. 643). The move faces a lot of opposition in the developing nations and from some religious leaders. Opponents of entrenching the culture in Society insist that it is immoral, unnatural, and ungodly deserving condemnation. Same-sex marriages and the interests of the LGBT community are not a predominantly western civilization issue. It exists in most societies, although in more subtle ways. Although some claims by the LGBT community are valid, the majority of the problems they raise are cultural anomalies and excuses aimed at covering up immorality. Therefore, it is wrong for some civilizations to try and globalize the culture by hinging its morality on the human rights doctrine.

The purpose of most sexual relationships is to get married. Successful gays and lesbians relationships lead to marriage. Marriage is a universal concept. However, each culture conceives the idea differently depending on factors, such as gender roles, human rights interpretation, need for procreation and perpetuation of lineage, and religion. Due to these diversities, there are several types of marriages. At the core of the institution of marriage is an interpersonal relationship, especially sexual relations. Marriage is recognized socially and legally as a union between two adults of the opposite gender (Gallagher 773). However, many changes are occurring in society in the 21st century that are challenging the traditional idea. As a result, there is a demand to increase the definition of marriage to include same-sex marriages.

The 21st century is challenging the traditional ideas of marriage. Advocates for the respect of the rights of the LGBT community are demanding that Society adopts neutral languages on marriage and eliminate gender specification. As a result, all major English dictionaries recognize same-sex unions as marriages as well. In some cases, religious organizations consummate the marriages, but they are secular civil relationships in most cases. Same-sex unions and other aspects of the LGBT rights campaigns challenge existing moral, religious, and legal structures. Its moral status is a highly debated topic that hardly gets social support. The primary justification for the practice of same-sex marriages is on human rights grounds (Gerber et al. 643). Most western societies do not believe that a person has a right to do as they wish with their body, and the state cannot control that aspect of their lives. In the developing world, the LGBT community issue is an attempt to prevent families from perpetuating their lineage. They frown at the prospect of a man and man or a woman and woman couple raising children through adoption or any other possible means. Although it is essential to respect the human rights of every individual in society, the idea of same-sex hides behind the concept to perpetuate immorality that most religious groups disapprove.

Notably, the concept of same-sex marriage is an old idea. Although the first law recognizing it and protecting it was enacted in the Netherlands in 2001, it is not new. The practice was common during the Roman Empire era (Brumbaugh et al. 350). However, modern times began to witness activism to recognize it in the 1970s in Europe and North America. The campaigns led to identifying same-sex relationships in Denmark in 1989, the Netherlands in 2001, and most western nations. So far, more than 20 nations in Europe and North America recognize the right of lesbians and gays to marry. But, unfortunately, it means that the LGBT concept is not recognized globally.

Traditionally, people understood LGBT rights to be a rare phenomenon. In the past, it was exceptional for same-sex couples to marry in input. Only prominent people like Emperor Nero did so during the Roman Empire. Today, most people who practice it do it openly and demand respect from Society. Even in nations where it is not common, there are practices similar to same-sex marriages in other world regions. For example, some traditional African societies allow women to marry other women, with one of them taking the role of a husband and the other the part of a wife. These communities had different reasons to allow the culture to thrive (Onuche 92). It was to perpetuate inheritance and family heritage if she was childless and the husband was dead. Another common practice was for women to marry another woman to procreate with her husband if she could not bear children in some communities. In these communities, the course was sanctioned by the culture and the traditions of the people. In all these cases, women did not have sexual intercourse with their wives and husbands, but they were their social and legal spouses. Therefore, the practices had nothing to do with homosexuality but the need to perpetuate families.

Same-sex marriages evoke questions about sexual morality that is a hotly contested notion in ethics. The central question is the circumstances under which it is permissible to engage in sexual activities. Other questions include the body to use, the person, the purpose, the length, and if it is appropriate to engage in the activity. The standard objection to homosexuality is the claim that it is an unnatural act. Some people hold that it is strange because most members of Society disapprove of it (Onuche 92). The second issue that makes it bizarre is because of the purpose. Most people engage in sexual activities for pleasure and procreation. The most critical element is procreation. If that misses, then it becomes difficult for the majority of people in Society to support it.

Proponents of the LGBT community rights aver that procreation cannot deny them the right to marry. They aver that if procreation is the only reason people should marry, then heterosexual couples who choose not to have children should not enjoy the same rights. Additionally, if it follows that logic, then it is appropriate to also ban masturbation, the use of condoms, and sexual intercourse during menopause, artificial insemination, and similar practices that are not natural. Heterosexual couples enjoy legal rights, such as joint tax returns, welfare benefits, and hospital visitations. If such a couple chooses not to have children, then following the same logic that denies same-sex couples the same rights, it is appropriate to deny heterosexuals the same rights.

Close to the unnatural objection is also the opposition advanced by religious leaders. For example, Christians disagree with the practice because the behavior is expressly forbidden in the Bible. The book of Leviticus 18:22 denounces the practice. However, proponents of same-sex marriages argue that it is impossible to use the Bible as a moral guide since it forbids other rules that are acceptable to Christians (Gerber et al. 643). For example, it prohibits sheep fat in Leviticus 7:23, but Christians still use them. Therefore, the Christians that rely on the Bible cannot deny the LGBT community from accessing their right to marry.

The LGBT community is a minority group in the world. Viewing it from a social justice perspective means that it is essential for society to learn to listen to the needs of the minority and marginalized groups even as they champion the rights of the majority (Brumbaugh et al. 345). Although most people in Society view LGBT rights as something unnatural, there is a need to respect and uphold the rights of the few who depart from the wishes of the majority. Additionally, since marriage is a fundamental human right and individual choice, the state must avoid interfering with it and facilitate people to enjoy it.

Upholding the rights of the LGBT community is a social justice issue. Most modern societies strive to be as inclusive and equal as possible. They aspire to mainstream the minority groups to help them enjoy the rights that the majority already enjoys. The rights of same-sex couples to enjoy the freedom to marriage operate on promoting equality and fairness in society. Advocates say that these needs are morally based on the non-judgmental moral values of equality, justice, and choice. The state must be fair to all members of Society. While some people think it is wrong for the LGBT community to demand rights similar to all citizens based on their religious persuasions, the state should not follow that route (Onuche 93). The government should always promote social justice. If governments stick to this lane, they will concentrate on being fair to their citizens without discriminating against them.

The right of the LGBT community to enjoy the right to marry is a significant moral and social justice issue. Religious groups and their adherents believe that it is unnatural for same-sex relationships to exist in Society. They aver that it is immoral for same-sex couples to marry since they cannot procreate as required by scriptures. However, advocates of LGBT rights argue that their campaign is not religious but a social justice issue directed at the government. They insist that the government has no right to regulate the private choices of individuals. They aver that the state can only facilitate its citizens by providing all couples with similar rights and documentation. The state plays a vital role in integrating minority communities into mainstream Society and helps them enjoy their rights. Therefore, in a socially just society, LGBT couples will enjoy all the rights that heterosexual couples enjoy in Society.

Works Cited

Brumbaugh, Stacey M., et al. "Attitudes toward gay marriage in states undergoing marriage law transformation." Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 70, no. 2, 2008, pp. 345-359.

Gerber, Paula, Kristine Tay, and Adiva Sifris. "Marriage: a human right for all." Sydney Law Review, vol. 36, 2014, pp. 643.

Gallagher, Maggie. "What is Marriage For-The Public Purposes of Marriage Law." Louisiana Law Review, vol. 62, no. 3, 2001, pp. 773.

Onuche, Joseph. "Same sex marriage in Nigeria: A philosophical analysis." International journal of humanities and social science, vol. 3, no .12, 2013, pp. 91-98.