Portfolio Essay Same-sex marriage has been a controversial issue since same-sex couples began petitioning for their civil and marital rights . Even though homosexuality existed long before our society labeled it, it is still not socially accepted by many groups and individuals. As a result, people tend to be biased when reporting facts regarding same-sex marriage. Biases can be hidden in many literary works such as books, newspapers, magazines and articles. Through these documents, writers try to provoke an emotional response in their readers to influence their view of a usually hotly debated topic. An example of this would be three articles through which rhetoricians differently influence the opinion of their audience by omitting or emphasizing certain facts about the legalization of gay marriage in New York State. The NBC New York article titled "NY Legalizes Gay Marriage" discusses the process by which same-sex marriage was legalized and the reactions that followed this event. The text initially has an emotional tone as the authors describe the overwhelming emotions of individuals as well as the celebrations that occurred after the passing of the law allowing same-sex marriage. By starting the article in this way the authors try to arouse feelings of excitement in their readers to make them think that this event is a positive aspect of our society. Furthermore, by mentioning the gay movement's multiple efforts over the past “forty-two years to secure the marital and civil rights of homosexuals” (Virtanen, Hill, and Zraick 1), the writers motivate their audiences to stand in solidarity with these individuals. . Furthermore, the authors try to make people more suppo...... middle of paper ......d independent opinion on a highly controversial issue. Works Cited Virtanen, Michael, Mike Hill, and Karen Zraick. “New York Legalizes Gay Marriage.” (2011): 3. Web.June 26, 2011.Gay-Marriage-124411594.html>.Associated Press, . "New York Becomes Sixth State to Legalize Gay Marriage." (2011): 4.Web. June 25, 2011. headed to the vote on the New York Senate floor/>. Confessor, Nicola and Michele Barbaro. “New York allows same-sex marriage, becoming largest state to pass the law.” New York Times June 24, 2011, Web.http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/25/nyregion/gay-marriage-approved-by-new-york-senate.html?r=1&pagewanted=all