Topic: Minnesota Marriage Amendment that will define marriage as between one man and one woman in the Minnesota State Constitution
Purpose: This topic is incredibly important to me personally, and the outcome will affect thousands of lives across the state. I want to learn about the specific language of the proposed amendment, who is backing it and why, and who is opposing it and why.
Writer: I identify as a queer person, so this topic hits very close to home with me and many of my friends and family. However, I have always been very conscientious about making sure that my own personal beliefs don’t get in the way of a fair, unbiased debate.
Audience: My target audience are young voters who are still on the fence about the issue of marriage equality, and even those who are against it. I know it’s hard to be persuaded against your religious/political upbringing, but for those who are still deciding on the issue, I plan on laying out the facts and arguments for both sides and show how any argument against gay marriage can be disputed fairly and without bias.
Working claim: I am against the proposed marriage amendment, as it would permanently make marriage illegal for me and for many of my friends and community members.
Three (preliminary) supporting arguments
- Marriage is a civil right the falls in with the founding ideals of this country
- Married heterosexual couples are given millions of benefits that would then be denied to homosexual couples who cannot get married
- The majority Americans are against the idea of redefining marriage, as demonstrated by President Obama’s repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the ruling that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional
Three (also preliminary) counterarguments
- Marriage is a religious union, and homosexuality is a sin in many religions
- Children raised by homosexual parents are more likely to do worse in school and have behavioral issues growing up because they don’t have both a male and a female role model in their lives
- Marriage quality will lead to people wanting to marry their siblings and pets
What types of evidence will you be looking for? I will be looking at the proposed amendment itself, breaking down the language into layman’s terms and using supporting and counterarguments to make my case. I will pull from different institutions such as Minnesotans United for All Families, Minnesotans for Marriage, and other marriage amendments from other states that have passed.
Three possible research questions
- How is the Marriage Equality Movement similar to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s?
- What is the current popular opinion in Minnesota on Marriage Equality?
- What other states have passed similar amendments and what affect have they had?
