Same-Sex Marriage: Tensions Between The Claim To Individual Autonomy And The Obligation To Conform To The Expectations Of The Wider Community
Introduction:
A community is formed with individuals still the interest of an individual does not align with the interest of the community in many cases of Sociology Assignment. The conflict between individual needs and societal needs is a common issue nowadays. Though the approach of society to the individual needs has been positively changed in recent years, tensions and conflicts still exist. In past years, in the case of a conflict between the individual needs and societal needs, society was stricter to the individuals. It is not easy to be self-reliant. The community determines the appearance and actions of an individual (Barbu, 2013). If these go against the norms, the individual is sure to face difficulties to sustain in the Sociology Assignment community. To be an individual was more difficult in the late 1800s. People whose actions and appearances do not align with the societal norms are looked down upon (Wright Mills, 1959). In recent years, the tension between the individual need of same-sex marriage and the societal needs to prevent it has been increased to great extent.
Issues of Conflict between Individuals and Community with Reference to Same Sex Marriage:
Same sex marriage is referred to the marriage between two people of the same biological sex. In accordance with Trigilio (2011), same sex marriage is not a contemporary issue. The historic people also knew the concept of same sex marriage. The status of same sex marriage is different from the status of marriage in the UK. The Parliament of the United Kingdom passed legislation to allow same sex marriage in England and Wales in July 2013 and the legislation was enforced on 13 March 2014. The first same sex marriage took place on 29 March 2014 (McEvoy, 2011).
Marriage is an significant part of human relation and in every nation, people hold a holy view about marriage. Marriage is considered to be the holy union of a man and a woman. The bond of marriage not only provides emotional support to the couple but also economic safety and the rearing of offspring (Kymlicka, 2002). On the contrary, people throughout the world hold an opposite view about same sex marriage. Same sex marriage was prohibited worldwide even some years ago. In recent years, the governments of many countries are legalizing same sex marriage. People are getting aware of their rights and legalization of same sex marriage is an outcome of this mass awareness. Though same sex marriage also existed in the early ages, it was never regarded as a holy union among two individuals. According to the historian John Boswell, the first same sex marriage happened during the early Roman Empire (Anderson, 1991). The first Roman emperor Nero married many men on different occasions. The same sex marriage between Nero and a young boy was celebrated in both Rome and Greece. Later same sex marriage was banned in Rome and people who performed this were executed (Beroiza, 2007). As the approach of the early government and the early society was very strict and harsh to same sex marriage, people hardly had the courage to revolt against the existing Sociology Assignment practice. Though people hardly have liberalized view about same sex marriage, the lesbian and gay population has been struggling for their rights. Because of this struggle, both the government and the society have been bound to accept same sex marriage legally.
In accordance with the traditional idea, the sole purpose of marriage is to rear a child. This basic purpose cannot not be fulfilled in same sex marriage (Geyer and Heinz, 1992). From time immemorial people the tradition of marriage involved a man and a woman. As people have lived with this tradition for ages, it is not possible to change their mindset overnight. Both the society and the religion are influenced by this tradition. Bible does not support same sex marriage (Hull, 2006). From the religious prospective, marriage is a holy institution between a man and a woman. This leads to the protest of the society against same sex marriage. Society believes that same sex marriage can destroy Sociology Assignment, religious and political tradition.
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The supporters of same sex marriage also have strong points in this context. According to them, their social right will be ignored if the government does not allow same sex marriage. As the government lack any compelling proof to deny the right of the homosexuals, banning of same sex marriage is an act of discrimination and hence unjustified to the supporters of same sex marriage (Zeldin, 1998). According to the contemporary view of marriage, marriage is all about the commitment between two people, whether they are same sex or different sex. The ultimate expression of love is the main necessity in marriage.
Conclusion:
It can be concluded from the essay that, tension between the interests of the individuals and the society was there, is there and will be there. This conflict or tension is not limited to the issue of same sex marriage. Individuals fights against the community for establishing their rights. In a certain point of time, there will be no barrier to same sex marriage and the lesbian and gay population will not be looked down upon. The strong struggle of the supporters of same sex marriage will be able to change the traditional mindset of community. However, the tension between the individual needs and the communal right will not end at that point.