The United States does not discriminate agianst homosexuals right to marry.

My Refutations 1.Pro: The act does state same-sex marriage license shall not be issued, and marriage contracted between individuals of the same-sex is invalid in the state. This however does not specify whether the same-sex marriage is homosexual or heterosexual in nature. Certainly two heterosexual males would be allowed marriage if the state specifically denied only homosexuals. This is why it is not discrimination against sexual orientation, because all sexual orientation are prohibited from same-sex marriage, not just homosexuals. The Alabama act specifically states in section (d) that no same-sex marriage license shall be issued in the State of Alabama of the same sex[1]. Pro also claims that nowhere in the Alabama Marriage Act does it say you have to be heterosexual to marry, but it does. Marriage is a sacred covenant, solemnized between a man and a woman, which, when the legal capacity and consent of both parties is present, establishes their relationship as husband and wife, and which is recognized by the state as a civil contract.[1] Although it doesn't use the language heterosexual, it is saying that marriage should be between a man and a woman, a heterosexual marriage. Pro also states that two heterosexuals could marry each other. Where have you ever heard of this? Pro only provides a hypothetical scenario that's unlikely. The state of Alabama denies same-sex marriage because they think marriage should be between a man and a woman, not between two men or two women. This is discriminating against homosexuals right to marry. 3. My opponent claims that becuase the Alabama Marriage Act does not use the term "Gay Marriage" and uses the term same-sex marriage, and that it's disrmination against choice, not sexual orientation. However, the topic of this debate is The United States does not discriminate against homosexuals right to marry. States like Alabama are discriminating against homosexuals right to marry by enforcing laws that prevent this. C2: All homosexuals currently have the right to marry just as all heterosexual have the right to marry. 1. Pro states that same-sex marriage is not the same as gay marriage. However, these terms are often used interchangeably. If two heterosexuals marry, it would be defined as gay marriage. As defined by dictionary.reference.com: Definition: the union of two same-sex partners; also called [same-sex marriage ], same-gender marriage,homosexual marriage Therefore, homosexual means gay and homosexual marriage is a synonym to same-sex marriage. 2. Again, if you give me a real life example, I'll accept. 3. The topic of this debate is "The United States does not discriminate agianst homosexuals right to marry." DOMA is recognizing marriage as between a man and a woman, and is differentiating any homosexual marriages. My Arguments The Majority of States deem Gay Marriage Illegal [2] Again, the majority of the states in the U.S. are discriminating against homosexuals right to marry. These states use constitutions to recognize marriage between a man and a woman, thereby indirectly discriminating against homosexuals orientation becuase their choice is to marry a gender their attracted to. Religious Aspects Many religions such as the Christianity specifically discriminate against homosexuals rights to marry based on orientation.[3] Many of these Christians discriminate against homosexuals because of their orientation as they follow the Churches teachings. About 78.4 % of American adults are Christian and 51.3 percent are Protestants[4]. In a gallup poll towards the attitude of Americans against gay marriage, the poll revealed that among religious Americans, Protestants in general were opposed to gay marriage.[5] This shows that as a society, about half of Americans, many who are Protestants are against gay marriage because of their orientation.The Federal Government doesn't officially recognize gay marriageSince the federal government sees marriage as between a man and woman under the DOMA[6], they aren't acknowledging gay marraige because they don't recognize that two people of the same-sex that love eachother should get married. Therefore, they're indirectly being discriminatory against gay's sexual orientation since they still won't allow gays to marry even if they raised a family by adopting kids. The resolution above us is "The United States does not discriminate agianst homosexuals right to marry." The Federal government is doing this by differentiating marriage and is being discriminatory towards gays. SummaryThis debate is "The United States does not discriminate agianst homosexuals right to marry." If Pro wanted to have a debate on whether the United States discriminates against gays becuase of their sexual orientation, he should have specified that on the above resolution. I still think I've made a good case on how the United States still does discriminate gays because of their orientation.Sources:http://www.legislature.state.al.us......;[1]http://statesthatallowgaymarriage.com...[2]http://atheism.about.com...[3]http://religions.pewforum.org...[4]http://global.christianpost.com...[5]http://www.gpo.gov...[6]