Journal Entry - 1

The claim of this argument is that gay and lesbian couples should not be able to marry. This claim, presented by author Eddie Thompson, is a claim of value. As a claim of value, it expresses disapproval of the idea of gay and lesbian marriage as well as the author's opinion that this type of marriage is wrong.
Evidence used to support this claim includes opinions mixed with facts. Thompson uses the idea that there are restrictions on marriage for everyone - polygamy, incest, age restrictions, etc. He uses this to support his point that restrictions on marriage do not accommodate everyone and are put in place for a reason. Moreover, Thompson says that gay and lesbian couple have exactly the same rights as everyone else, due to the fact that they have the same opportunity to marry a person of the opposite sex. If they are granted the right to marry each other, he says that they are earning extra rights over everyone else. He also says that the idea of marriage of same-sex couples is wrong in all religions, in the eyes of almost all of society, and in the evolutionary course of nature itself.
While there are a few more "facts" that Eddie Thompson uses to support his claim that same-sex couples should not be allowed the right to marry. The evidence used to support the claim does not seem to be the strongest, however. Many of the points that Thompson used could be argued very easily, or seem to be based on opinion with a small amount of factual information.

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