Same-sex marriage is a marriage involving two people of the same gender or the same biological sex. It is also known as gay marriage. The acknowledgment of same-sex marriage is a social, political, religious and civil-rights issue in many countries. There are many debates on whether people in same sex relationships should be permitted to marry legally. Generally, educated people are open- minded and, therefore, more likely to support same sex marriages than less educated people. Although there are some quarters opposed to same sex marriages, gay couples should be granted the chance to marry.
In the USA, same sex marriage is legal in only eight states; it is illegal in thirty one states. Despite these grim statistics, same sex couples should be provided with the same benefits enjoyed by heterosexual couples. People who oppose same sex marriages claim that it is a threat to the marriage institution and will lead to practices such as bestiality and polygamy. However, this is not true, and there exists no scientific proof supporting this ridiculous theory.
People who define marriage as a union between a man and a woman do not consider the most fundamental purpose for marriage which is companionship. Same sex marriages provide this as effectively as heterosexual marriages. People in same sex marriage should also be permitted to adopt children, and this can be made easier by legalizing same sex marriage. People who argue that same sex marriages do not bring forth children fail to understand the main purpose of marriage. Procreation is secondary to companionship. There are many heterosexual couples who choose not to have children. Some people argue that children raised by same sex parents become socially maladjusted, but this is not true. Studies show that these children are not any less adjusted than other children.
Denying same sex couples the right to marry is a violation of their rights. The Constitution is committed to liberty and equality, and this should include permitting people to marry people of the same sex. Denying them this right is discrimination and is unconstitutional. Denying same sex couples the right to marry is not any different from how the law forbade interracial marriages in the 1950s. This is no different from discrimination according to race or gender. People who oppose same sex marriage are, therefore, advocating for discrimination. When same sex couples are not allowed to marry, it leads to stigmatization of their families and allows for their discrimination. It gives the impression that people in same sex marriages are in a way inferior to people in heterosexual relationships. This increases incidences of violence and maltreatment of people in homosexual relationships.
Marriage provides psychological and physical health benefits. Denying people the right to marry results in psychological distress, and this will result in poor health. Legalization of the same sex marriage gives same sex couples access to facilities that strengthen marriage (such as marriage seminars). Legalizing same sex marriage will in no way affect heterosexual marriages. People, who argue that gay marriages allow erosion of heterosexual marriages and family values, fail to consider that individuals will not change their sexual orientation just because same sex marriages are legal. Heterosexual couples will not decrease. Legalizing gay marriage will only affect people who are already in same sex relationships.
Allowing marriage between same-sex couples will allow them pay taxes as a family, have access to health coverage, access to hospital visits by their spouses in times of sickness and give them legal protection in case the relationship comes to an end. This will significantly reduce their expenses. People who argue that taxes should not be used to support gay marriages fail to look at the big picture. Arguing that allowing for tax exemption for homosexual couples is wrong, is not only discriminatory but also selfish and morally wrong .
Advocating for the legalization of gay marriages is not only beneficial for people in same sex relationships, but for the society as a whole. Children cannot be taught about love and equality when their parents and the state advocate for discrimination. Parents ought to lead by example and embrace this change, which is inevitable. It is only after the society accepts same sex marriages that there can be unity between people of different sexual orientations.
Works Cited
Caramagno, Thomas C. Irreconcilable Differences?: Intellectual Stalemate in the Gay
Rights Debate. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002. Print.
Chauncey, George. Why Marriage: The History Shaping Today's Debate Over Gay
Equality. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2005. Print.
Murdoch, Joyce and Deb Price. Courting Justice: Gay Men And Lesbians V. The
Supreme Court. New York, NY: Basic Books , 2002. Print.
Oliver, Marilyn Tower. Gay and Lesbian Rights: A Struggle. Berkeley Heights, NJ:
Enslow Publishers, 1998. Print.
Rauch, Jonathan. Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good
for America. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2004. Print.
Wolfson, Evan. Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to
Marry. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 2004. Print.
