Gay Marriage

Here's the resolution: Gay marriage should be legal.Sorry for the confusion. Now here are my opening statements. I. It's Not A ChoiceII. EqualityIII. Separation of Church and StateIV. Adoption IncreaseV. What Is Marriage?VI. Economic BenefitHere we go!I. It's Not A ChoiceI'll start with the actual science and statistics, then I'll talk about the "choice" of being gay with hypothetical situations and questions."Biological gender is set in the first trimester of pregnancy; psychological gender is set in the second, when the child in the womb is exposed to varying levels of testosterone. It"s not a mutation; it"s very much like the genetic regions that determine whether you will have black or brown hair, whether you"ll be tall or short, have dark or light skin, have broad or narrow hips" in other words, it is part of the normal range of normal human sexuality. And across all societies, the percentage of people who are gay remains about the same, at between 5-8% (although there is a difference between the incidence for men and women)." [1]If homosexuality was a choice then why would the percentage around the world be so similar? Because this is something that is predetermined, just like you gender, hair color, eye color, so on.Now for the hypothetical situations and questions. Say you were a man in love with women. Most other people in the world are gay or lesbian. You can't help it. You can't choose to love another man the same way. Just like you can't pick your race, you can't just pick and choose your sexuality.I'm actually a gay woman and if I could, I'd most definitely decide to be straight. But why is that? The prejudice and discrimination against LGBT+ people is unbelievable!"Nearly a fifth of students are physically assaulted because of their sexual orientation and over a tenth because of their gender expression."About two-thirds of LGBT students reported having ever been sexually harassed (e.g., sexual remarks made, being touched inappropriately) in school in the past year.""The average GPA for students who were frequently physically harassed because of their sexual orientation was half a grade lower than that of other students." [2]Would someone really want to be embarrassed, condemned, and harassed due to their sexuality?II. EqualityThe Declaration of Independence states that "...all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." [3] So why don't we grant these unalienable rights? For this part, I'll focus on liberty.Liberty- the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. [4]Should gay couples be barred from marriage? If they are then that's oppression by authority on one's way of life and behavior. Straight couples are allowed to marry freely, so what makes people think that gay couples should be treated as lesser and unable to marry in some parts of the world?III. Separation of Church and StateA common argument of religious people against gay marriage is that it's a sin and The Bible condemns it, so it shouldn't be permitted. But we have the separation of church and state, which is where religious beliefs can't define the government. Amendment I"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." [5]Yes, this amendment prohibits the restriction of religion, but it's also for separation of church and state. "Two clauses in the First Amendment guarantee freedom of religion. The establishment clause prohibits the government from passing legislation to establish an official religion or preferring one religion over another. It enforces the 'separation of church and state.' Some governmental activity related to religion has been declared constitutional by the Supreme Court. For example, providing bus transportation for parochial school students and the enforcement of 'blue laws' is not prohibited. The free exercise clause prohibits the government, in most instances, from interfering with a person's practice of their religion."[6]So why did the U.S. prohibit gay marriage in all 50 states up until summer of 2015? It's unconstitutional to do this, as we have separation of church and state. IV. Adoption Increase"In 2009, 69,947 children had parental rights terminated by the courts, yet only 57,466 were adopted... Last year, 29,741 children turned 18 and left the foster care system without being adopted... Nearly 40 percent of American adults, or 81.5 million people, have considered adopting a child, according to the National Adoption Attitudes Survey. If just one in 500 of these adults adopted, every waiting child in foster care would have a permanent family." [7]With the rapid increase of gay marriages, don't you think that more children could find a loving family to care for them? Studies show that same-sex parents have no effects or even positive effects on the child's well-being. [8, 9, 10] A child needs love and if they're able to be given love from capable parents then they should adopt children.V. What Is Marriage?Marriage - the legally or formally recognized union of a man and a woman (or, in some jurisdictions, two people of the same sex) as partners in a relationship. [11]We simply could stop it there, as the definition does, in fact, include same-sex couples, but I'll analyze this some more. Let's look at the definition used by Psychology Today."Marriage is the process by which two people maketheir relationship public, official, and permanent. It is the joiningof two people in a bond that putatively lasts until death..." [12]Again, this doesn't exclude homosexual couples. But is a marriage between a straight couple and a gay couple any different? Only in minor ways, but not when it comes down to the two definitions provided. But how so?"Scientists have found that the psychological and social aspects of committed relationships between same-sex partnerslargely resemble those of heterosexual partnerships. Like heterosexual couples, same-sex couples form deep emotional attachments and commitments. Same-sex and heterosexual couples alike face similar issues concerning intimacy, love, loyalty and stability, and they go through similar processes to address those issues. Empirical research also shows that lesbian and gay couples have levels of relationship satisfaction similar to or higher than those of heterosexual couples." [13] In fact, same-sex couples are usually in very stable relationships, as they're less likely to divorce. [14] Then why, with the vast similarities between straight and gay couples, is gay marriage still illegal in many parts of the world?VI. Economic BenefitIt's already been proven that weddings help the economy due to the expenses such as entertainment, catering, attire, etc. Would gay marriages help the economy? "The newly expanded marriage rights provide a tremendous economic opportunity for the $51 billion wedding industry, which currently employs over 800,000 people nationwide. Excluding increases in federal tax revenue or transfer payments, gay marriage in all 50 states has the potential to add $2.5 billion annually to the U.S. economy, according to a NerdWallet analysis." [15]"The states will perhaps see $47.7 million in tax revenue as well, along with anywhere from 2,069-6,210 jobs created as a result of same-sex marriages, according to the Williams Institute." [16]In short, ever since gay marriage has been legal nationwide, the economy has seen a giant boost, making for more tax revenue and thousands of jobs being made. I repeat, all of this is from the legalization of same-sex marriage in the states alone. Can you imagine what would happen if it was on a larger scale with the rest of the world joining?ConclusionIn the end, you can't bar gay couples the chance to get married, as it wasn't their choice, it's oppression based on their sexuality, and the separation of church and state is undeniable. (It's in our very Constitution, after all!) The recent year of increased gay marriages can provide a boost for adopting children and the economy.Thank you. I look forward to my opponent's rebuttal.Citations[1]http://www.health24.com............[2]http://www.pflagnyc.org............[3]http://www.archives.gov............[4]http://www.google.com............[5]https://www.law.cornell.edu.........[6]https://www.law.cornell.edu.........[7]https://davethomasfoundation.org............[8]http://www.sciencedirect.com............[9]http://www.medicaldaily.com............[10]http://www.medicaldaily.com............[11]https://www.google.com......[12]https://www.psychologytoday.com......[13]http://www.apa.org......[14]http://www.advocate.com......[15]https://www.nerdwallet.com......[16]http://www.ibtimes.com......