Legalize gay marriage
Any couple that spends their life together should be entitled to the same benefits.
In today's society and under law, all humans should be treated as equals. In 1919 women were recognized by the government as equals to men and were given the right to vote in the USA. In 1964, the civil rights act recognized black peoplel as full citizens with equal rights. All humans are recognized as equals, regardless of their race, age, gender, or sexuality.
It is unacceptable to discriminate against individuals based on their race, age, gender or sexuality, but federal law still discriminates the LGBT community emotionally and financially. Reasons why gay marriage should be legalized follow:
1. Same sex couples that spend their lives together in the same way that heterosexual couples do are not recognized as married by US government in the same way. This denies them of the joy of the public acknowledgment of the union.
2. Denying same-sex couples the right to marry stigmatizes gay and lesbian families as inferior and sends the message that it is acceptable to discriminate against them.
3. The American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and others wrote in a Sep. 2007 amicus brief, "...allowing same-sex couples to marry would give them access to the social support that already facilitates and strengthens heterosexual marriages, with all of the psychological and physical health benefits associated with that support.?
4. Allowing same-sex couples to marry will give them access to basic rights such as hospital visitation during an illness, taxation and inheritance rights, access to family health coverage, and protection in the event of the relationship ending. An Oct. 2, 2009 analysis by the New York Times estimates that a same-sex couple denied marriage benefits will incur an additional $41,196 to $467,562 in expenses over their lifetime compared to a married heterosexual couple.
5. If marriage is about reproduction, then infertile couples would not be allowed to marry. Ability or desire to create offspring has never been a qualification for marriage.
6. There is no such thing as traditional marriage. Given the prevalence of modern and ancient examples of family arrangements based on polygamy, communal child-rearing, the use of concubines and mistresses and the commonality of prostitution, heterosexual monogamy can be considered "unnatural? in evolutionary terms.
It is unacceptable to discriminate against individuals based on their race, age, gender or sexuality, but federal law still discriminates the LGBT community emotionally and financially. Reasons why gay marriage should be legalized follow:
1. Same sex couples that spend their lives together in the same way that heterosexual couples do are not recognized as married by US government in the same way. This denies them of the joy of the public acknowledgment of the union.
2. Denying same-sex couples the right to marry stigmatizes gay and lesbian families as inferior and sends the message that it is acceptable to discriminate against them.
3. The American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and others wrote in a Sep. 2007 amicus brief, "...allowing same-sex couples to marry would give them access to the social support that already facilitates and strengthens heterosexual marriages, with all of the psychological and physical health benefits associated with that support.?
4. Allowing same-sex couples to marry will give them access to basic rights such as hospital visitation during an illness, taxation and inheritance rights, access to family health coverage, and protection in the event of the relationship ending. An Oct. 2, 2009 analysis by the New York Times estimates that a same-sex couple denied marriage benefits will incur an additional $41,196 to $467,562 in expenses over their lifetime compared to a married heterosexual couple.
5. If marriage is about reproduction, then infertile couples would not be allowed to marry. Ability or desire to create offspring has never been a qualification for marriage.
6. There is no such thing as traditional marriage. Given the prevalence of modern and ancient examples of family arrangements based on polygamy, communal child-rearing, the use of concubines and mistresses and the commonality of prostitution, heterosexual monogamy can be considered "unnatural? in evolutionary terms.
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