Equality for All Illegal, unconstitutional, disgusting and sinful are only a few words people use to describe what I consider a personal right. Gay marriage has been a topic of discussion in the United States for the past couple years. Lately the subject has increased along with the arguments from both sides of the spectrum. I am a gay male and look forward to finding the man of my dreams and marrying him some day but this can only happen if the minds of certain individuals change along with the laws prohibiting it. Gay marriage should be legal throughout the country; it does not hurt anyone and can be beneficial for many.
Some individuals label gay marriage as weakening the definition and respect of the institution of marriage. The issue I see with that statement is the definition they are referring to should not only be stereotyped to same sex couples but to all couples. There are a lot of marriages that end in divorce due to unforeseen circumstances along with marriages based on lies including cheating, money, and fame. These are the reasons the definition of marriage has weakened and lost its respect, not same sex marriages. Being denied these rights is to deny someone their civil rights.
I believe it is a form of minority discrimination. You would not discriminate against a person’s freedom of speech or their freedom to learn because of their background or sexual orientation so why would you deny them the right to marry their partner? The definition of marriage to me is life partners with the person you want to be with forever not based on gender. Recognizing same sex marriage would benefit the economy in multiple ways. Thinking about how much people spend on weddings and receptions, more marriages would bring in more money to hotels, banquet centers and churches all over the United States.
Traveling couples would bring in money to resorts in all areas of the world even if it is just for the honeymoon. One trip for one new married couple per state could save one hotel or resort and that is just a minimal number. The real estate community would increase also because newlyweds would purchase more housing together with combined income and the ability to afford more substantial homes. Gay marriage would also help out local communities in multiple ways. Same sex couples cannot naturally reproduce and adoption numbers would increase.
According to a study done by UCLA school of Law and the Urban Institute, “Same-sex couples and homosexual singles applying for adoption tend to be older, better educated, and have more economic resources than their heterosexual counterparts” (Wagner 7). This would help in many different areas including: fewer children in foster care and orphanages which means less government money being past to that direction, couples sending their adopted children to local schools which would increase local school funding, and these children growing up in loving families and getting the education they need to assist in the economic areas of the country.
There are benefits to the same sex couple that come with marriage also. These include: joint ownership of possessions shared between the couple, medical decision-making in tough situations, insurance coverage for one’s partner and most of all love is love we should be able to love who we want and marry them. So why can we not agree that this would be a great move for the United States to legalize gay marriage?
The question is still being asked to many people. Slowly but surely we are getting closer to equal rights for everyone, but we still need to educate more people on the positives of gay marriage and focus less on the negative stereotypes. According to Lars Eighner, “Some material things are white elephants that eat up the possessor’s substance” (486). This is not a white elephant; it is personal right that everyone should be granted to.
It can be done, but the only way is by coming together as a one and following our nation’s core rights: the right to be who we want, do what we want and most of all to live happy in a nation founded on freedom. Works Cited Eighner, Lars. “On Dumpster Diving. ” 1993. 75 Readings Plus. Ed. Santi V. Buscemi and Charlotte Smith. 9th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2007. 476-86. Wagner, Cynthia G. “Homosexuality and Family Formation. ” Futurist 44. 3 (2010): 6-7. American Search Premier. Ebsc. MCTC Lib. , 9 May 2010.
