The United States of America should legalize Homosexual Marriage

Good Luck to my opponent Observation 1- It is unfair and morally unjust to use a Christian holy book (the bible) as basis for a law or lack of a law due to the the separation of church and state. This means my opponents contentions must not be based on the bible or other religious document. Even if that"s not enough, The Huffington Post adds, "There are those who claim it's [Homosexual Marriage] about protecting the integrity of what's written in the Bible. This is one of the most ridiculous claims ever made since the Bible is full of evil acts and suggestions we choose to ignore. Where is the integrity in that?" http://www.huffingtonpost.com... Observation 2- Homosexuality is not a choice and it is out of someone's control whether they are homosexual. "The final witness for gays and lesbians seeking to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage testified Friday that most people don't choose their sexual orientation, few people change it and "conversion therapy" is useless and potentially harmful. "The vast majority of people are consistent in their (sexual) behavior, their identity and their attractions," Gregory Herek, a UC Davis psychology professor, said at the San Francisco federal court trial on the constitutionality of Proposition 8." says SFGate. Definitions Homosexual: sexually attracted to members of one's own sex Homosexual marriage: the union of two same-sex partners Legalize: to make legal; authorize From Dictionary.com Contentions Contention 1: It is unfair to have homosexual marriage not be officially recognized, as this implies homosexuals are inferior and their marriages are illegitimate Warrant: According to NPR, "Indeed, the Supreme Court has repeatedly said that marriage is a fundamental right that the state cannot abridge without some real justification. It has said that prisoners have the right to marry, and so do people too poor to make child support payments." Warrant: On July 25, 2014 Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Judge Sarah Zabel ruled Florida's gay marriage ban unconstitutional and stated that the ban "serves only to hurt, to discriminate, to deprive same-sex couples and their families of equal dignity, to label and treat them as second-class citizens, and to deem them unworthy of participation in one of the fundamental institutions of our society." Impact: Homosexuality, being something you are born with naturally, is the rough equivalent of not allowing people to marry based on their skin color. It is unfair and unjust that in this modern era, people are still discriminated against by the law based on factors they cannot control. Contention 2: Homosexual couples are affected in real and significant ways by not being able to legally marry Warrant: "Plaintiff James Obergefell presents perhaps the most sympathetic case of all: He can"t even get himself listed on the death certificate of his deceased husband, John Arthur, because his home state of Ohio won"t recognize the couple"s out-of-state marriage." notes Politico. http://www.politico.com... Warrant: A partial list of marriage benefits from Nolo include, "Filing joint income tax returns with the IRS and state taxing authorities. Creating a "family partnership" under federal tax laws, which allows you to divide business income among family members. Inheriting a share of your spouse's estate. Receiving an exemption from both estate taxes and gift taxes for all property you give or leave to your spouse. Obtaining priority if a conservator needs to be appointed for your spouse -- that is, someone to make financial and/or medical decisions on your spouse's behalf. Receiving Social Security, Medicare, and disability benefits for spouses. Receiving veterans' and military benefits for spouses, such as those for education, medical care, or special loans. Receiving public assistance benefits. Obtaining insurance benefits through a spouse's employer. Taking family leave to care for your spouse during an illness. Receiving wages, workers' compensation, and retirement plan benefits for a deceased spouse. Taking bereavement leave if your spouse or one of your spouse's close relatives dies. Visiting your spouse in a hospital intensive care unit or during restricted visiting hours in other parts of a medical facility. Making medical decisions for your spouse if he or she becomes incapacitated and unable to express wishes for treatment. Consenting to after-death examinations and procedures. Making burial or other final arrangements. Filing for stepparent or joint adoption. Applying for joint foster care rights. Receiving equitable division of property if you divorce. Receiving spousal or child support, child custody, and visitation if you divorce. Living in neighborhoods zoned for "families only." Other consumer discounts and incentives offered only to married couples or families. Receiving crime victims' recovery benefits if your spouse is the victim of a crime. Obtaining immigration and residency benefits for non citizen spouse. Visiting rights in jails and other places where visitors are restricted to immediate family." http://www.nolo.com... Impact: Not allowing homosexuals to marry denies them many influential and important benefits in our society. Contention 3: Homosexual marriage improves the economy Warrant: According to the Williams Institute, "Our research shows that same-sex weddings injected significant spending into local economies. For example, the wedding spend of same-sex couples in Massachusetts, which includes a large number of out-of-state couples, was $111 million from 2004 to 2009. " http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu... Warrant: The Washington Post adds, "If legalized, same-sex marriages could generate more than $464 million in their first year for 11 state economies, according to a series of studies released this year." http://www.washingtonpost.com... Warrant: The Huffington Post adds, "If California were to legalize same-sex marriage, it would generate $123 million for the state economy during the first three years same-sex marriage is legal, according to a 2005 Stanford study cited by the Fiscal Times." http://www.huffingtonpost.com... Warrant: PBS notes, "Hundreds of thousands of excited couples would start planning weddings, generating at least $1.5 billion, by my calculations, in spending on flowers, cakes, bands, meals, photographers, hotels, tourism in general, suits and gowns (not to mention those one-off gowns for the members of the bridal party). And of course all those purchases generate millions in sales tax revenue for state and local governments." http://www.pbs.org... Impact: Legalizing homosexual marriage will spark the economy, which provides positive benefits for all citizens.