CHANGING POLICIES: DO TELL THE ONGOING BATTLE OF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE APPEAL

From the first of the infamous Oscar Wilde trials in Great Britain in 1895 to the repeal and appeal of California’s Proposition 8 in the United States, same-sex relationships continue to ignite strong emotions. Society imposes its own standards on love which often force people to hide their desire for fear of social rejection or more severe consequences such as imprisonment and even death. History reveals that many people suffered the trials and tribulations of discrimination because they dared to defy societal norms. The stories of these martyrsoften enable change to occur, even though change may be slow to occur. Even as individuals enter the legal stage to fight for and defend their right to love and marry another person of the same sex, proponents of same-sex marriage recognize that now is the time to assert their presence as visible members of society.