Alicia+Gay+Marriage

Gay Marriage

1. As of Jan. 6, 2014, gay marriage has been legalized in 17 US states (CA, CT, DE, HI, IA, IL, MA, MD, ME, MN, NH, NJ, NM, NY, RI, VT, and WA) and the District of Columbia. 33 states have gay marriage bans through either laws or constitutional amendments or both. http://gaymarriage.procon.org

2. Denying these marriages is a form of minority discrimination. http://www.balancedpolitics.org/same_sex_marriages.htm#gsc.tab=0

3. Those who oppose gay marriage often cite religious viewpoints and concerns about the rearing of children as the main reasons for their opposition. http://www.debate.org/gay-marriage/

4. In the U.S. approximately nine million people identify themselves as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. There are 780,000 same-sex couples in the country, and 1/4 of these couples are raising an estimated 380,000 children. http://www.today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/PRN-business-law-experts-weigh-in-90498.aspx

5. A marriage ceremony is redefined as communal attitude develops, and the mainstream of US resident now supports same sex marriage. Same sex marriage is also secured by the government constitutions commitments to equality and freedom. http://apecsec.org/gay-marriage-pros-and-cons/

6. Income tax will be increased, social security taxes will be increased (or benefits decreased), employee benefits will be reduced. http://www.allaboutlove.org/cons-of-same-sex-marriage.htm

7. http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/ethicalperspectives/gay_marriage.html

8. Is the U.S. government willing to take on such a risk in allowing same-sex couples to marry? What does this mean for U.S. political system and what impact gay marriage will have on traditional family values? http://www.academia.edu/6244541/Pros_and_Cons_of_Same-Sex_Marriage_A_Holistic_Viewpoint_on_Marriage_Equality_Adoption_and_Spousal_Benefits

9. The idea of allowing two people of the same gender to enter into the institution of marriage has brought out drastic emotions and reactions from many different groups of people. Those who engage in the debate believe strongly in their convictions; the two loudest voices tend to come from the gay community and the religious community, the former arguing in favor of same-sex marriage and the latter against it. http://journals.chapman.edu/ojs/index.php/e-Research/article/view/87/307

10. http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF11B30.pdf

> ====Should Same-Sex Marriages Be Legalized? ==== > In-text: (Messerli) > Bibliography: Messerli, Joe. 'Should Same-Sex Marriages Be Legalized?'. //Balancedpolitics.org//. N. p., 2011. Web. 7 May. 2014. > > ===Tucker, A. === > ====Pros and Cons of Same-Sex Marriage: A Holistic Viewpoint on Marriage Equality, Adoption, and Spousal Benefits ==== > In-text: (Tucker) > Bibliography: Tucker, André. //Pros And Cons Of Same-Sex Marriage: A Holistic Viewpoint On Marriage Equality, Adoption, And Spousal Benefits//. 1st ed. University of the District of Columbia: N. p., 2012. Web. 7 May. 2014. >
 * ===Messerli, J. ===
 * E-book or PDF

Gay marriage should be legalized because love is love, it’s their right and it’s against the constitution banning it. The discussion around same-sex marriage first began in 1993. The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that laws denying same-sex couples the right to marry violated state constitutional equal protection rights unless the state could show a “compelling reason” for such discrimination. Since then, many states have taken actions to define marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman, and other states have allowed same-sex marriage. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have legalized gay marriage: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and New York.  Banning gay marriage is directly against the constitution violating the unalienable right to the persuit of happiness. People argue that gay marriage is unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court in 1974’s //Cleveland Board of Education v. LaFleur// that the “freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage and family life is one of the liberties protected by the Due Process Clause.” The 1967 Supreme Court case //Loving v. Virginia// confirmed that marriage is “one of the basic civil rights of man, “and same-sex marriages should receive the same protections given to interracial marriages by that ruling. Why ban something people can’t help do but fall in love.  In my opinion, gay marriage is a bond between two people. Marriage is an ultimate expression of a person’s love for another, it is a commitment that says “I love you so much that I’d want to live the rest of my life with you.” Love is love and people should be allowed to marry with whomever they love. Most people define marriage differently though. They believe same-sex marriage is wrong and that marriage is between a man and a woman.  Most couples marry for love and the desire to reinforce the personal commitment they have made to each other, but government’s denying the freedom for gay-marriage punishes couples and families by depriving them of easily seen criticism. Intangible protections and responsibilities for their partners is hard for gay couples. For example, if a couple is not married and one partner dies, the other does not have the right to file wrongful death claims, to draw Social Security of the deceased partner, or to automatically inherit a shared home, or personal items in the absence of a will. They can’t cover their families on their health plans without paying taxes on the coverage, nor are they eligible for Medicare or Medicaid coverage. Also many employers don’t cover domestic partners or their biological or non-biological children in their health plans. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> In conclusion, gay marriage should be legalized because why not? It's their right, although marriage is a privilege, gay couples should have the right to marry. Also because banning gay marriage is violating the constitution going against the unalienable right to the persuit of happiness.