It is a good thing that gay marriage is now legalized in the United States

Hello - and thank you for joining my debate. This debate will have 3 rounds for argument with the following setup:1st round: Opening statement and argument2nd round: Counterarguments3rd round: Final counterarguments and conclusion / final statementI look forward to a friendly and detailed discourse from both sides.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ROUND 1: OPENING STATEMENT: Based on various examples and evidence on the issue, it is clear that the legalization of gay marriage is a good thing. I will now precede to explain those reasons:1. Equality: Gay and lesbian people are people just like the rest of us - in many ways such as wanting to be married. Denying them their right to marry is as absurd as denying a heterosexual couple to marry because we are all citizens of America - and under the constitution we all deserve equality and to be treated fairly (There are 1,138 benefits, rights and protections available to married couples in federal law alone, according to a General Accounting Office assessment made in 2004) ~ ProCon.org. That will not happen if the government and churches have the ability to pick and choose who can and who can not have these basic rights. Anyone in America is allowed to marry who they love - and to deny them their right to marry is completely unconstitutional. 2.Rights: (Since 1888 the US Supreme Court has declared 14 times that marriage is a fundamental right for all, according to the American Foundation for Equal Rights). Under the supreme court and constitution, it is a human (and civil) right for a citizen to have the ability to get married - the supreme court never made any restrictions or rules for marriage - other than allowing people to marry who they choose.3. Families / Children: (Marriage is not only for procreation, otherwise infertile couples or couples not wishing to have children would be preventedfrom marrying). People who make the argument of "procreation" or "children" are not listening to the rights that follow marriage. It is not a a requirement that every married couple needs to have a child or a family - that is strictly the couple's choice. That is why adoption and sperm donations are also choices for such couples if they want a family and are unable to else wise.4. Financial Benefits: Marriages - whether gay or straight - cost money. If only straight couples are allowed to get married, then the government will not receive as much money from marriages as they could. Think about it, more rules and restrictions that are places upon the laws of marriage will result in less people getting married. Less people getting married = less money being spent on marriage = less profit to go towards the government.5. Good Parents: Gay couples have a reputation to be some of the best parents out there - experiments have prove that homosexual families are a lot more happy and successful than heterosexual families. ( A June 2014 peer-reviewed University of Melbourne study showed that children raised by same-sex parents score about six percent higher than the general population on measures of general health and family cohesion. A study published ineptness on June 7, 2010 found that children of lesbian mothers were rated higher than children of heterosexual parents in social and academic competence and had fewer social problems. A July 2010 study found that children of gay fathers were "as well-adjusted as those adopted by heterosexual parents." ). The evidence proves my previous explanation.6. Humiliation: Imagine you are a child of a homosexual couple - and you are in a country which does not allow homosexual marriages. Now imagine that all your friends and kids at school know about your parents and make fun of you - not so fun right? Making this form of marriage illegal will put the burden of humiliation on the children of homosexual couples - and even the couples themselves.7. Health Benefits: A 2010 analysis published in the american Journal of Public Health found that after their states had banned gay marriage, gay, lesbian and bisexual people suffered a 37% increase in mood disorders, a 42% increase in alcohol-use disorders, and a 248% increase in generalized anxiety disorders. 8. No negative change for heterosexual marriages: There will be no changes that will effect straight couples in a negative way - in fact, research has shows that it would only effect them in a positive way: (A study published on Apr. 13, 2009 in Social Science Quarterly found that "[l]aws permitting same-sex marriage or civil unions have no adverse effect on marriage, divorce, and abortion rates, [or] the percent of children born out of wedlock." A Nov. 2011 study by UCLA's Williams Institute reported that the rate at which legally recognized same-sex couples (in marriages or civil unions, etc.) end their relationships is 1.1% on average, while 2% of married different-sex couples divorce annually.). Keeping the legalization will only help further stabilize heterosexual couples.9. Lower Divorce Rates: Same-sex couples have lower divorce rates then heterosexual couples - it is a prove fact (refrence the evidence above). Banning gay marriage actually increases divorce rates for even heterosecual couples: (Massachusetts, which became the first US state to legalize gay marriage in 2004, had the lowest divorce rate in the country in 2008. Its divorce rate declined 21% between 2003 and 2008. Alaska, which altered its constitution to prohibit gay marriage in 1998, saw a 17.2% increase in its divorce rate over the same period. The seven states with the highest divorce rates between 2003 and 2008 all had constitutional prohibitions to gay marriage.). These statistics prove the negative impact of not having gay marriage legalized.10. Religion: Religion is not allowed to have an effect of marriage because - marriage is supported by all religions as a whole, and some religions support it while others do not. Under those circumstanes. the only way to make marriage a fair right for people of all religions is to allow people in the religions of those who favor same-sex marriage, to be able to get married to whomever they want. In fact, many bishops and priests are in agreement with same-sex marriage. Gene Robinson, openly gay former Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, stated in Sep. 2012: "Scripture says where love is, there is God also. And they [religious people] see that love in our families, and I think people can't help but be supportive." Priests such as Robinson show that mostly not all priests and religious figures are against homosexual marriages. Polls taken from various religious groups also support this, such as a poll taken from people who follow the Jewish faith: (Judaism, which comprises about 80% of the American Jewish population, endorses same-sex marriage, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis has supported gay marriage since 1996.).I rest my case for now.Citations: ProCon.org- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I am looking forward to my opponent's opening statement and argument - and I look forward to viewing the argument of someone with the opposite view as me so I can see how people in society stand on this issue. Thank you for your time ~ Sara