Gay marriage should remain illegal everywhere

As for the burden of proof, gay marriage being illegal is the standard throughout most of the world. Citation [1] shows the countries which have allowed same-sex marriage, and through observation, we can assess that same-sex marriage is not the norm throughout the world. Hence, the burden of proof is dealt to the Con to demonstrate why the norm should be changed. However, I have structured the argument so that the burden may appear to be on me. I'm confident in my ability to argue, and because of this, I think that I can provide reasons for implementing laws against same-sex marriage, rather than merely refuting reasons to abolish laws illegalising same-sex marriage. Rebuttals: "Gay marriage should remain illegal everywhere" insinuates that gay marriage is becoming accepted in parts (as you have expressed) and that this should not be happening, hence "should remain illegal everywhere…" …but is not doing so. I apologise if this was not clear. "Parenting Effectiveness is Not Related to Parental Sexual Orientation" I agree with most of what was cited and am willing to concede that most areas required to raise a child could be met by the same-sex couple. However, how would two men be able to teach a girl how to become a woman? They do not resonate with the same general thoughts or emotions (especially is we consider the comparison between a woman to a girl, and a gay man to a girl). No amount of reading or listening could ever help a gay man feel like a girl, whereas a woman once a girl and knows what it is like to be one. Whilst it is possible that the gay man could provide a decent emotional understanding (among other things) of a girl, there is no substitute for the real thing (a woman). Furthermore, a gay woman does not act (or feel) like a traditional woman. So, even a gay woman would be inferior to a straight woman in this sense. As an aside, not teaching a girl how to be a woman would undermine the traditional family (which I'll address later). "Marriage Offers Social, Psychological, and Health Benefits That Are Denied to Same-Sex Couples" Keep in mind that whilst a fraction of the population may suffer (homosexuality rates are about 15%, not sure of actual statistic, but it is certainly a minority), ALL children in a marriage will be affected (in a traditional upbringing sense). Relative to your self-actualisation argument, a girl raised both two gay men may not reach her potential due to the two being unable to understand and address her emotional needs. Will you then argue that 15% of the population is more than important than the other 85%? I argue that this is not "unnecessary". New arguments: Gay marriage will weaken the validity of marriage Already marred by high divorce rates[2], marriage has become less meaningful over the years. Are people likely to see it as more meaningful if governments change laws to allow for gay marriage? It's basically saying that the old concept of marriage was wrong. What will likely be a result of allowing the constraints and ramifications of marriage to change is that joke-marriages (e. g. marriage of animals) and shorter marriages will result. This will be because marriage will not be taken seriously anymore; the modality of the term "marriage" will be severely lessened. A further weakening of the traditional family would result Allowing a new type of marriage would encourage people to turn from the traditional marriage. This is disastrous because it is this traditional marriage which has guided many countries through great hardship. For example, during the Great Depression, men would be trying to find a job whilst the woman stayed home to attend house-duties. Such a structured framework did not allow deviation or ‘grey areas' where uncertainty would surely result (which would be devastating). Hence, everyone knew what they should be doing and everyone could focus on the task instead of trying to work out what they should be doing. Having two men or two women in a relationship would not produce this same level of rigid framework and ineffectiveness in the form of idling would be more likely in comparison to the traditional marriage. Basically, gender roles are based upon actualities (women are different to men both physically and psychologically, and therefore, have different needs). Allowing same gender marriage would upset this and cause much confusion and some ineffectiveness in and because of marriage. [1] . http://lesbianlife.about.com... [2] "Married adults now divorce two-and-a-half times as often as adults did 20 years ago and four times as often as they did 50 years ago" - Brian K. Williams, Stacy C. Sawyer, Carl M. Wahlstrom, Marriages, Families & Intimate Relationships, 2005