Gay marriage should remain illegal everywhere

In Response to the Rebuttal of Sexual Orientation and Parenting EffectsAlthough both parties in this debate have discussed matters not specifically related to the “legal contract that recognizes the two as together,” I must remind my opponent that such arguments should at least be supported with evidence if they are to continue to be discussed.My opponent gave no evidence to support the claim that a man, or two men, cannot adequately provide (in an emotional sense) support for the teenage girl. I will return to my previous statements based on research by the American Psychological Association regarding same-sex couple parenting: “There is no scientific evidence that parenting effectiveness is related to parental sexual orientation: lesbian and gay parents are as likely as heterosexual parents to provide supportive and healthy environments for their children.”In response to, “Even a gay woman would be inferior to a straight woman in this sense:” I must note that just because a gay woman may not be able to relate in a sexual oriented way to the child, this does not necessarily mean that the woman cannot relate to the child, even in an emotional sense.In Response to the Rebuttal of “Denied Health Benefits of Same-Sex Couples”“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.” I definitely refute the basis of the rebuttal presented.Abraham Maslow mentioned the following regarding self-actualization: “intrinsic growth of what is already in the organism, or more accurately of what is the organism itself...self-actualization is growth-motivated rather than deficiency-motivated” [3]. With this in mind, I must say that even if gay parents could not meet the “emotional needs” of the child, the child would most likely not be affected when it comes to self-actualization. My original argument regarding this actually did not contain any mention of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in relation to children. The argument was guided toward a person who is engaged in a marriage: They would feel more self-worth. Only my first argument was directed specifically toward children, not this one.Legalizing Gay Marriage Would NOT Harm Traditional Family Values or Heterosexual MarriagesA question meant to imply a rhetorical response should not be the basis of such an argument. My opponent has given no evidence that new laws which make gay marriage legal would negatively affect the traditional view of marriage. It is not “basically saying that the old concept of marriage was wrong.” Governments legalizing gay marriage are not doing so to prove that an old model is flawed; they are doing it to provide more rights for a minority within the country.I agree with my opponent that increasing divorce rates are alarming. However, the legalization of gay marriage does not necessarily add to the increasingly bad divorce rate. “Social Science Quarterly found that "[l]aws permitting same-sex marriage or civil unions have no adverse effect on marriage” [4]. In fact, Massachusetts has one of the lowest divorce rates. Massachusetts allows same-sex marriage. In Massachusetts, divorce rates have decreased 21% between 2003 and 2008. In addition, Alaska, who altered their constitution to prohibit gay marriage, have seen an increase in divorce rates of 17.2% [5]. “The seven states with the highest divorce rates between 2003 and 2008 all had constitutional prohibitions to gay marriage” [4]. These statistics do not directly correlate with the legalization or non-legalization of gay marriage, but the statistics strongly appear to resemble a correlation when it comes to the legalization of gay marriage, or the ban of it.In Relation to the “Weakening of Traditional Family Values”“Allowing a new type of marriage would encourage people to turn from the traditional marriage […] during the Great Depression, men would be trying to find a job whilst the woman stayed home to attend house-duties.” I must remind my opponent that we currently reside in the 21st century where views of this system are not exactly intact anymore. Obvious trends show that people are already turning away from the traditional system of “Woman stays home to clean, man goes out to work.” Furthermore, current movements toward gay marriage are merely contributing the new way we even think about marriage. Keep in mind though, gay marriage is not the only contributor to “changing ways:” Take interracial marriage as one example.Work Cited[3] Maslow, 1987.[4] http://gaymarriage.procon.org.... Point 11.[5] Nate Silver, "Divorce Rates Higher in States with Gay Marriage Bans," www.fivethirtyeight.com, Jan. 12, 2010.