Introduction
Same-sex marriage continues to be a highly controversial topic even in the most economically, culturally, and politically advanced countries. Opponents of same-sex marriage argue that allowing LGBT people to create families gradually destroys fundamental societal structures and leads to the population’s extinction. The scientific community debunked many of these claims, which helped legalize same-sex marriage in various other parts of the world. However, the LGBT community does have several severe and widespread problems that could harm society. These are HIV and AIDS prevalence in LGBT people and high rates of domestic violence in same-sex couples. The right to marriage can exacerbate these two issues both within the LGBT community and outside of it and create new ones. In this work, the counterargument against same-sex marriage will be presented and explained.
HIV and AIDS Diseases in LGBT Community
It is no secret that HIV and AIDS are the two biggest health problems in the LGBT community, predominantly among gay and bisexual people. Researchers state that “gay and bisexual men made up an estimated 2% of the U.S. population in 2013 but 55% of all PLWH in the United States” (“How HIV Impacts LGBTQ+ People”). Moreover, they also note that “transgender people have also been hit especially hard by the epidemic” (“How HIV Impacts LGBTQ+ People”). As one can see, LGBT people have a disproportionate number of HIV and AIDS patients compared to other societal segments in the US. With gay marriage legalized, more LGBT are willing to have children. It may result in many newborns with congenital diseases, which could lead to an epidemic in the future. Until the LGBT community resolves these health issues, the right to marry should not be given to them.
Domestic Violence in LGBT Couples
Domestic violence in LGBT couples and families is another negative trend in the community. It needs to be mentioned that it is also common in heterosexual unions. However, as with HIV and AIDS, domestic violence is more common among same-sex couples. According to Rolle et al., “the phenomenon occurs at a rate that is comparable or even higher than heterosexual IPV” (2). Legalized same-sex marriage encourages more LGBT people to get married, and it could potentially damage the physical and mental health of many LGBD people and their future children. Again, the LGBT community first needs to recognize an internal crisis and find a solution before moving forward in terms of civil rights. Until then, the authorities should not grant them the right to marry.
Conclusion
This work analyzes the current problems of the LGBT community associated with the family unit and provides a counterargument to the legalization of same-sex marriage. The counterargument is that at the moment, the LGBT people have too many critical family-related issues to allow them to marry. Its legalization only worsens the situation both in the LGBT community and in society in general. The problems discussed are the high rates of HIV and AIDS in LGBT people and the high incidence of domestic violence in same-sex couples. It needs to be clarified that the author of this work stands with the LGBT community. The paper was written from the perspective of an imaginary opponent of same-sex marriage. Nevertheless, the data and facts presented in this paper allow one to form valid points that can be used in a debate or research work on the topic discussed here.
Works Cited
“How HIV Impacts LGBTQ+ People.” Human Rights Campaign, Feb. 2017, Web.
Rolle, Luca, et al. “When Intimate Partner Violence Meets Same-Sex Couples: A Review of Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 9, 2018, pp. 1-13, Web.