Swayney

Jamie Swayney
Professor DAlessio
UWRT 1102-023
March 16, 2016

Love is Love
Homosexuals have faced many complications throughout the history of gay
rights. One specific right that has recently become legal on June 26, 2015 is gay
marriage. Only some states legalized gay marriage before that, but on that day it was
legalized all over the United States. Different genres tend to show what homosexuals
face, or what everyones different opinions are. I have decided to focus on a film,
advertisement, and literature. Each one helps give awareness to homosexuality.
In the movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, two men have to pretend
they are gay and need to get married. The reasoning for this was because Larrys wife had
passed away and he needed the benefits, but he could not receive them until he was stable
and remarried. He turned to his friend Chuck for help. They were good friends and both
firefighters. Even though they were pretending to be gay, they had to fully play the part in
order to convince the right people. When everyone found out they were gay it all
changed for them. All of their friends looked at them differently. The firefighters stopped
hanging around them, and started whispering and talking behind their backs. Chuck and
Larry were no longer welcomed in basketball games, or in fact welcomed at all (I Now
Pronounce You Chuck and Larry). Even if they were pretending, and this is just a film, it
really represents a lot of what homosexuals face. I think that it shows why a lot of gays

Swayney

do not want to be open about it. Who would want to be shunned and not welcomed?
Society around us is just like this film.
For my advertisement I have specifically chosen an ad from Tiffany & Co. named
Love Without Limits. It starts out with a man describing what love is to him, how it is
patient and kind. You can tell he is getting ready to propose. It then shows him waiting
for his special someone to show up, and when they appear it ends up being another man.
This advertisement kind of opened up my eyes a little. While first watching it, I
automatically assumed he was going to propose to a woman. Then when it was a guy, I
realized how close-minded I was being. A lot of people think a man and a woman
together is love, but today that concept has completely changed. This commercial was for
the first line of engagement rings for men. I think this was a big leap for gay marriage. It
showed the audience that love could be between anyone. This commercial was out even
before gay marriage was legalized in every state. I also think it was a brave step for
Tiffany & Company to create this advertisement because they could have lost a lot of
customers who do not believe in gay marriage. From the research I have done, they
actually received more positive comments on the commercial than negative ones. I
believe it was a big awareness for people to open up their minds (Tiffany & Co.).
Literature is always a good way to express ones thoughts, especially poems. I
have found two poems that are in contrast to one another. One is for gay marriage, and
one is against it. The author for gay marriage starts out his poem confused on how
someone could be against gay marriage. Youre ok with love, but only if its straight, but
not lady-lady or lad-lad? Whats the difference may I ask, between the union of two
souls? He is basically saying throughout the poem, why should it be stopped and that

Swayney

love is love. He ends it with saying, I am glad to know that you have your rights, and
your life is going on just fine, so, please go on living your own life, and let me live mine
(Joshi). On the other hand the author against gay marriage preaches throughout his poem
about America the beautiful, or so you use to be. This author uses Gods view all
throughout his poem. He writes things like, Weve voted in a government thats rotting
at the core, Appointing Godless Judges who throw reason out the door (Moore). Each
one of these poems shows valid reasoning to be for or against it. Both people have strong
views and opinions. However, should someone who is only against it because of God be
able to make decisions for someone who is pro gay marriage?
My topic has given me a lot of insight to what homosexual people face. This topic
will forever be one that everyone has an opinion on. However, I do think that acceptance
of gay marriage has grown tremendously. Each genre I have chosen shows that. From the
film showing what homosexuals face to the advertisement showing how far gay marriage
has come to be able to have their own line of rings from a major company. The poems
were a great way to show both sides. I think my research has made me more openminded to the topic. I believe we should not be able to choose someones choices for him
or her. I am glad that gay marriage became legal in the United States, and that every
person can live the life they want to live. Just because you support gay marriage does not
mean you have to understand it, and just because you are against it does not mean you
should stop it.

Swayney

Works Cited

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Dir. Dennis Dugan. Buddy Film, 2007.
Joshi, Shebhangi. "In Support of Same Sex Marriage." Feministing. 2013. Web. 16 Mar.
2016.
Moore, Roy. "Poem by Judge Roy Moore." Nosamesexmarriage. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Tiffany & Co. "Love Without Limits" YouTube. YouTube, 21 March 2013. Web. 16
March 2016.