Same Sex Marriage

This act was passed to define and protect the institution of marriage which is supposed to be “between a man and a woman”. As a tactic, the state of Vermont promoted same sex marriages by labeling them as “civil unions” (Schowengerdt, 2002). The state of Vermont felt civil unions would provide gays and lesbians with the same financial benefits as heterosexual couples (Stewart, 2004). In 1998, Hawaii’s stated legislation implemented the DOMA amendment that altered the state’s constitution and rejected same sex marriages (Schowengerdt, 2002). Between 1995 and 2000, 28 states passed laws preventing the recognition of same sex marriages (Schowengert, 2002). The purpose of the DOMA was to prevent gays and lesbians from “exporting same sex marriages to other states” (Finnis, 1997). A Florida Federal Judge denied two women recognition of their marriage which took place in Massachusetts. As a result of this denial, attemtps were made to force other states and the federal government to recognize same sex marriages in states where it is legal (Stewart, 2003).

In the article “Same-sex marriage protects Families and Children in Many Way” the author points out that “Parenting by same-gender couples is an established and growing part of the diverse structure of families in the United states.” (same-sex, 2015). Therefore embracing Americans diversity and promoting differences have lead to same-sex marriage being permitted and eventually accepted. Promoting same-sex marriage will financially support couples because it will allow both parties to put both names on title to a home, etc. In previous studies, 34.3% of lesbian couples and 22.3% of gay couples are raising children nationwide. Researches have proven that children who grow up up with married parents benefit that the relationship is recognized by the law. Arguing that being a good parent is not based of whom each other love, but on how on is treated and cared for. Also proven in studies shows that married couples have higher levels of happiness and less sickness than those who are unmarried. By promotion of same-sex marriage finacial support will increase, children will grow, and same-sex marriages will live happily and

There are roughly 313,900,000 people living in the United States and within those people roughly 9,000,000 people categorize as either lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (gates). This statistic was calculated throughout many surveys issued in 2010 throughout all states in the United States. These statistics were presented in an article written by Gary J. Gates in April of 2011. Now that it is currently almost the year 2014 the number of homosexuals have only risen in the past few years due to the legalization of same sex marriage throughout some states. Same sex marriage is becoming a well-known controversy in the United States due to complete opposite opinions. Society often examines the changes throughout the years in terms of consequences rather than in benefits. The legalization of same sex marriage is often portrayed as consequential to society however when examined more closely there would be more benefits to society if this controversy was viewed in terms of positive change. Benefits society could achieve from legalization of same sex marriage are providing new economic and business opportunities, and encouraging equal opportunity and a non-discriminatory society.

The global divide of same-sex marriage remains a controversial and convoluted topic across North America. The civil rights of human beings were put into question against the underlying discriminatory issue of homosexuality within the state in the New York Washington post article, “As Rulings Are Announced, Cheers and Tears Among Waiting Crowd”. Wednesday June 26th, 2013 at 10:00am marked the official ruling that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as a union between man and woman, was unconstitutional. History was made as gay spouses were given the legal right to social security benefits such as, shared health cares plans without tax penalties and gay foreigners married to Americans were given access to

Gay marriage has been a recent controversy for many reasons. Many people (religious conservatives) believe that same-sex marriage is immoral, sinful, and threatens the traditional structure of a family. But gay and lesbian supporters feel marriage is a right that everyone should have, backed by the Due Process and Equal Protection of the Fourteenth Amendment. It has been proven that the outlook on gay marriage has changed drastically based simply on the fact that younger people had supported it and it just took time to gain enough approval from enough of the country to legalize it. Since most of 18-29 year-olds of 2006 supported same-sex marriage, “two-thirds of Americans think that same-sex marriage will eventually be legal in the United

Unfortunately, it was not always viewed as such. Throughout the majority of American History, same-sex marriage was outlawed and slandered. Then, in April of 2000, Vermont signed a first of its kind civil unions bill that provided same-sex couples with the full benefits of marriage. By 2015, 37 states had followed Vermont into this revolution of marriage, and what it all means. Finally, on June 26, 2015, a Supreme Court decision guaranteed the right for same-sex couples to marry in all 50 states. Once again, the basis of legality in marriage equality lies in our Constitution. It states that everyone is created equal; and to withhold the right and benefits of marriage from someone because of who they wish to marry simply defies the Constitution. The plain inequality in disallowing members of the same sex to marry has been noted by Supreme Court justices time and time again. Be that as it may, America was founded on religious principles. This leads to what is perhaps the most controversial aspect of the same-sex marriage

Over the past several years the homosexual community has made great strides in attempting to justify their right to legally join in matrimony. Society as a whole has come a long way in becoming more tolerant and acknowledging of same sex partners and their choices to form families. Given our first amendment right to freedom of speech, there are plenty of sentiments regarding whether or not laws should be ratified permitting these male or female partners to have the legal right to marry. There are numerous of current trends that provide absolute support to the homosexual community with hopes of increasing the level of tolerance. In addition, the great economic advantages that have come about from same-sex marriages in supporting states, has

Among the likeliest effects of gay marriage is to take us down a slippery slope to legalized polygamy and "polyamory" (group marriage). Marriage will be transformed into a variety of relationship

Out of all the thousands of rights, marriage equality; equal acceptance of same-sex marriages; is the biggest controversy. Opposite sex couples believe that gay marriage will harm or destroy marriage all together if it is allowed, because it is not a ‘traditional’ marriage between one male and one female. Only banning same-marriage will destroy marriage and society. Marriage is a keystone of our social order. Studies show that the United States has one of the highest divorce rates when compared to other countries (infogr.am). Allowing gays the privilege to get married will increase marriage rates and less couples will get divorced due to not being attracted to the opposite sex. The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy, which has conducted previous studies on same-sex relationships and parenting, collected administrative data on divorce rates between lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender couples from New Hampshire and Vermont. The data found that same-sex couples divorced at an average rate of 1.1 percent annually between the two states, compared with 2 percent annually between heterosexual pairs

There are 1049 legal reasons why gay couples would want marital status to be recognized by the government. Did

The current major state and federal law that is affecting same-sex marriage is the Defense of Marriage Act , or DOMA as it also called. The Defense of Marriage Act is a federal law that allows each state to recognize or deny any marriage-like relationship between persons of the same-sex that has been recognized in another state and it also explicitly recognizes for purposes of federal law that marriage is "a legal union of one man and one woman as husband and wife" and by stating that spouse "refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife." When asking the people that I interviewed what their feelings were towards the Defense of Marriage Act and how it currently affects the issue of same-sex marriage and the interviewees who were for same-sex marriage felt that the law was inherently wrong and the person I interviewed who was opposed to same-sex marriage thought the law was good except for one obvious flaw with it.

This article discussed two opposing positions on whether or not same sex marriage should be legal. Theodore Olson argues for legal marriages while Lyle Denniston argues against. Theodore Olson viewpoint uses the US Constitution and the belief that all people are created equal as the support for his argument. He believes that same sex marriage is the natural evolution in equal rights and calls it “the last major civil-rights milestone yet to be surpassed in our two-century struggle” (McKee & Taverner, 2013, p. 118). Additionally he attempts to refute the justification behind California’s anti-gay marriage position. Specifically, he discredits the explanation of the tradition of husband and wife and the state’s interest in preserving procreation. As far as tradition he believes that traditions does not allow for progression or change and for procreation he argues that allowing same sex marriage would not reduce the number of heterosexual marriages and therefore would have not reduce the number of children. This sentiment was echoed by Justice

1. Other countries (Denmark, Canada etc.) have legalized gay marriage. (Bidstrup, 2009) The United States prides itself on being the forefront and a leader in all things so they should be leading the way for gay marriage as well.

Legalizing gay marriage will not harm the institution of marriage, and same sex marriage may even be more stable than regular marriage. According to Obergefell v. Hodge, it is said that there is no difference between same- and opposite- sex marriage. It was proven that gays were more likely to have long term relationships by Doctor Deborah Schurman-Kauflin. Gays tended to be closer to siblings and spent more time with family members(Kauflin, 2013). Usually, after being honest about their sexuality, gays tend to be more free which is translated to happiness and stability. The relationship between a homosexual couple tend to be steady which helps keep better

A question that some may ask is, what exactly is gay marriage? Gay marriage or same-sex marriage is the legal and social recognition that a joining (marriage) between two persons of the same social gender or biological sex takes place (Quick). As of February 9, 2015, gay marriage has been legalized in 37 American states and the district of Columbia(Marriage). While the remaining states have gay marriage bans through laws, constitutional amendments, or both. Proponents argue that same-sex couples ought to have access to the same marriage benefits and public acceptance enjoyed by heterosexual couples, and that prohibiting gay marriage is unconstitutional discrimination. Opponents argue that altering the traditional definition of marriage between a man and a woman will further weaken a threatened institution. They believe that legalizing gay marriage is a slippery slope that will lead to polygamous relationships. Gay marriage has come a long way from the 1980 's when only few Americans ever thought of marrying someone of the same sex(Wood). Same-sex couples have a history of fighting for their