Homosexuality is Natural and gay marriage should be legalized

1) Gene theory) True the Gene theory is yet to be conclusively proven so to fully accept the theory would be intellectually dishonest, but since the majority of the findings not only support but indicate that Genes play a crucial role you cannot simply dismiss it until it has been proven 100%. Since Homosexuality does occur in nature its does mean it's a natural thing. Just as death, killing, etc are natural. Killing in nature is far different than in human society. When a bird kills a fish it does so out of necessity to survive, we humans have cruelty where we kill for pleasure. Should we humans accept homosexuality? If we argue that since we are the only rational beings (which is incorrect as animals like elephants are also very intelligent creatures) then lets be rational. Pointless killing harms a society so it is bad, discrimination against people via gender, race, and sexual preference does not benefit society either it simply causes divisions. 2. Over-population) My claim was not that homosexuality will prevent overpopulation entirely but it will help reduce the rate of population growth which will give us needed time to find solutions to problems we face with overpopulation for instance the need for better food systems. Much of our modern agriculture is dependant on fossil fuels for packaging, transport, harvesting, fertilizers.. not to mention the waste involved. As fossil fules are a finite resource we are setting ourselves up to fail. Over-population will be fallacious if we do not adapt current practices. My opponent seems to misunderstand the difference between the rate of growth and a decrease in population. True the Population growth rate is decreasing (people are having less children) but this measures the rate of population, not the population itself. Population is growing exponentially. While education and safe sex practices may have lead to a decreased rate of growth it isn't shrinking. Allowing gay marriages will not only help to further reduce the growth rate, but it will also allow people to live their lives to the fullest and thus allow them to contribute to society as discrimination will not be an issue. 3. Prevention of back-lash and Discrimination) Of course there will be backlash. One must only look at history to see that this will happen. People of color were discriminated against in America not to long ago and in some cases there is still the echoes of said backlash. Just because there is a possibility of a backlash by the discriminators does not mean we should not move forward. If we were too worried about backlash people of colour would be lower class citizens, women would still not have the right to vote, etc. Look at more modern criticisms of different religions. Islam has had more people criticize it in regards to free speech, there's backlash but its worth it when your pointing out a wrong. The Risk of a backlash should not warrant continued discriminations. Just because something is a threat to your world view does not mean you have to embrace it. Take Christianity Vs. Buddhism. If Christianity is right Buddhism is wrong and a threat to Christians, does this mean Buddhism should be outlawed? No. Christians simply have to learn how to interact with people that hold different ideals, this is a crucial part of growing up and maturing. Society needs to adapt as it has in the past and for all intensive purposes it will be better off.. or would my opponent like to explain why it was wrong to bring people of colour to equal status as whites? 4. Passing of gene or committing suicide) Remember even though gene theory has not been conclusively proven it is the most likely scenario based on the evidence collected. But even if Genes played no role and contrary to the evidence at hand homosexuality is simply a choice that both people and animals make, the unwarranted discrimination still instills false feelings of guilt in people. To merit this guilt homosexuality must be proven to be detrimental and harmful to people in a way that is noticeable difference than strait people and could not occur if they had been strait. While I do have assumptions in my statements my opponent does as well. The difference is mine actually use the information we have at hand in an honest way. I am also looking out for the well being of my fellow man who is being discriminated against for something's that is not wrong. Yes education and acceptance on gay marriage does indeed reduce the feelings of guilt and rates of suicide in homosexual populations as long as there is discrimination and inequality the problem is still there. Allowing gay marriage will further reduce inequality, and make it more socially acceptable. Since marriage status has been "Revamped" in the past I don't see an issue with doing it again. My argument is not that less suicide = less population growth, I'll assume my opponent misinterpreted my writing rather than deliberately twisted my words (I apologize if I was unclear) My argument is that allowing same sex marriage will A) improve the quality of the homosexuals lives B) Reduce the false notions of guilt and thus reducing the suicide rate. C) Lessen the current population growth rate D) give us much needed time and manpower to find sustainable alternatives to current practices. In no way does less suicide lead to a lower population growth rate these are separate issues. As Gay marriage would be acceptable gay men who are forcing themselves (or planning to) in strait relationships and bearing children will stop thus reducing the birth rate. 5) addressing the "Counter-Plan" A) Expand Civil Union Legislation to All States) A worthy and progressive step yes but it still does not address the inequality that homosexuals face as they are not allowed to wed. B) Allow Homosexual Adoptions) Good idea, further expand it by allowing married homosexual couples to adopt children. C) Allow tax exemptions for those who do adopt) Good idea This counter plan is a step in the right direction but it still needs to progress further to deal with the discrimination and inequalities that homosexuals face in today's society. While it is true that civil unions are more easily accepted than gay marriage the risk of backlash should not hinder the rights of homosexuals. Religion should not have the say on the lives of the non-religious. Why should an unbeliever have to submit to religious rules? I'm not saying that such rules are negative but that the traditional rules need not be followed by those not committed to the religion. Bottom-line: Societies that discriminate often face consequences; often the mistakes are due to short sightedness and the inability to recognize or deal with social, economic, and environmental issues. Often it is a combination of the three. I'd like to push forth the notion that one of the admirable traits of humanity, one that has helped our race advance is the desire for equality (A social aspect), the desire to have a world without discrimination. Society has moved forward and gotten passed the issues of race and gender. We still have a good ways to go before discrimination can be eradicated and Equality to reign. And although man has become less discriminatory there's still a long ways to go before we overcome that problem. My hope is that mankind can change rapidly. While we may or may not be there to see the eradication of discrimination, we can be the ones to stand firm, and seek out equality despite whatever personal convictions we or society may hold. We can be the generation that history recognizes as the one that further advanced human equality paving the way for our children, and our children's children, to move on towards the inevitable change it needs to survive. I have hope in our race, that we might seek justice, peace, and the well being of others and place it above our own desires to further advance our kind. This kind of sacrifice makes us heroic; This kind of sacrifice is nee