Resolved: On Balance, Gay Marriage is Good

I understand and agree to debate: it is if gay marriage is good or not relative to heterosexual marriage. It is easy to demonstrate if there is a consensus among sociologists on this point. I’m sure you’re saying show me the evidence. The American Sociological Association (ASA) founded in 1905, with more than 13,000 members, including most sociologists holding doctoral degrees from accredited universities, state there is a consensus on this issue and concluded in their amicus brief to the Supreme Court children of same sex couples did just as well as other children. Pro’s points for Round 2: Reasons to approve of (a) Marriage has been redefined so that we can choose our spouses freely and couples have access to important legal and economic protections. (b) Our constitution protects our right to pursue happiness. Finding love and getting married is part of that pursuit. (c) Our society is better off when more of us are in stable, loving relationships that we choose. (d) Marriage is the highest form of displaying commitment and love in our society. (e) Weddings, gift registries and honeymoons help create millions of jobs for Americans and infuse billions into our economy. Question: (Q): If Larry King has the freedom to be married seven times—shouldn’t a gay couple that has been together 30 years be able to get married once? Even stalwart conservatives like Bill O’Reilly and Dick Cheney agree: Here is Dick Cheney: I think freedom means freedom for everybody and you ought to have the right to make whatever choice you want to make with respect to your own personal situation. I certainly don't have any problem with it [gay marriage]. ~ Fmr. Vice Pres. Dick Cheney, during an interview on "The View", September, 2011 Bill O’Reilly: The compelling argument is on the side of the homosexuals. That is where the compelling argument is. We’re Americans and we just want to be treated like everyone else. .. . New York has [gay marriage] now. I live in New York, New York has it, I'm fine with it. I want all Americans to be happy, I do. ~ Bill O'Reilly, on Fox News, March, 2013 Right now, Con’s position hinges on the evidence presented. Thankfully, for me the evidence comes Mark Regnerus, whose own department at the University of Texas-Austin disavowed the study, noting it “was fundamentally flawed on conceptual and methodological grounds. ” Perhaps Con failed to take the minimal step of typing in his name on Wikipedia, because if Con had then he would have realized how ridiculous using such a discredited figure is in an actual debate. The second source Con is a graph that cites figures from Regnerus, again not a neutral or reliable source. The other sources Con uses are equally ridiculous; they are both publications from the Focus on the Family, a right-wing religious group, whose sole purpose is to spout hate and religious bigotry. Here is what the founder of this organization had to say about same-sex marriage: "[The homosexual] agenda includes teaching pro-homosexual [sic] concepts in the public schools, redefining the family to represent "any circle of people who love each other," approval of homosexual adoption, legitimizing same-sex marriage, and securing special rights for those who identify themselves as gay. Those ideas must be opposed, even though to do so is to expose oneself to the charge of being "homophobic. " – "Complete Marriage and Family Home Reference Guide" by James Dobson Con has not advanced his argument; the evidence doesn’t allow anyone to make the inference made, since the evidence is drawn exclusively from discredited academic studies and religious fanatics groups. So, Pro has nothing else to say until Con uses credible material and not easily debunk sources. Con has yet to contribute a single thing to the debate. accessed 22 May 2015, . http://www.asanet.org.... ‘Dick Cheney: “I Certainly Don’t Have Any Problem With” Gay Marriage’, Huffington Post, 13 November 2011, . http://www.huffingtonpost.com.... ‘Bill O’Reilly Calls Gay Marriage Opponents “Bible Thumpers,” Seemingly Reversing Stance (Video)’ (The Hollywood Reporter), accessed 22 May 2015, . http://www.hollywoodreporter.com....