Gay Marriage Should be Legal

I will be making a case for gay marriage and ask that you read my argument with an open mind. Contention 1: The Harm Principle Same-sex marriage is no more capable of harming anyone than heterosexual marriage. Consider the people that we do allow to marry: Pimps, drug dealers, arsonists, felons of all kinds, known pedophiles, and many more people who have committed terrible crimes are free to marry and do so on a daily basis [1]. Indeed, it is reduction ad absurdum to say that we are preventing gay marriage to avoid harming society. In fact, gay marriage bans harm those of in a homosexual union. It is estimated that there are at least 1,049 legal rights that are denied to homosexual partners [2]. Contention 2: Gay marriage bans violate the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. The Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment requires that “[no State shall] deny any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. ” [3] Bans on SSM are in violation of this Equal Protection Clause for at least three reasons: (1) They deny gay men and women the ability to marry the person of their choice; (2) They single out and harm a suspect class by preventing them from marrying; (3) There are over 1,000 rights they are denied simply because they cannot marry. [See source 2] Indeed, gay marriage bans are unjust because they discriminate against gay couples by preventing them from forming legal valid marriages. This is a clear violation of the Equal Protection Clause. Contention 3: Legalization of gay marriage benefits society If gay marriage were to be legal, then all would benefit. Undoubtedly there are many people who feel that gay marriage does not benefit society, when in fact, the exact opposite is true. Contention 3.1: Economics Alongside the better treatment of homosexual counterparts, there is a betterment of the economic status of society as a whole, meaning that legalization of SSM would be beneficial to the community. It has been estimated that there would be an immediate revenue gain of about $17 billion if gay marriage would be made legal nationally. According to Market Watch “one thing is abundantly clear: legalization of gay marriage would mean a windfall for the wedding industry. ” (Keep in mind that wedding industry are about a $70 billion/year business)! [4] Contention 3.2: Children Currently, there is an estimate of 16.2 million double-orphans in the world today [5]. Rather than providing these children with the opportunity to be in loving homes, adoption agencies are continually denying a stable home to the child simply because the potential parents are gay. Gay parents are equally able to raise children as their straight counterparts. Dr. Ellen Perrin says, “The vast consensus of all the studies show that children of same-sex parents do as well as children whose parents are heterosexual in every way—in some ways children of same-sex parents actually may have advantages over other family structures—they did better in discipline, self-esteem, and had less psychological difficulties in home and at school [6]. ” Another study done by the USC sociologists say children with gay parents show more empathy for social diversity and are less confined by stereotypes. This study indicates that sexual orientation has no measurable effect on the quality of parent-child relationship or on the medical health of the children. [7] Let’s recap: Same-sex marriage does not harm anyone; Same-sex marriage bans violate the equal protection clause; Legalization of gay marriage benefits society economically; and Gay people are just as able to raise children as their straight counterparts, thus being able to provide a home for orphans and the needy. Thank you. References [1] “Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives. ” iVeritas Et Ratio-Truth and Reason. Accessed on October 26, 2011 . http://www.bidstrup.com... (point 9) [2] “In Defense of Gay Marriage. ” Accessed on October 26, 2011 . http://www.angelfire.com... [3] . http://www.usconstitution.net... [4] . http://www.marketwatch.com... [5] . http://answers.google.com... [6] . http://www.webmd.com... [7] . http://www.narth.com...