Debate: Gay marriage

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Should gay marriage be legalized?

Background and context

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Marriage defined: Can definition of marriage include gay marriage?

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Yes

• Definition of marriage can and should evolve to include gays "Let them wed." Economist. January 4th, 1996: "Marriage may be for the ages—but it changes by the year. And never, perhaps, has it changed as quickly as since the 1960s. In western law, wives are now equal rather than subordinate partners; interracial marriage is now widely accepted both in statute and in society; marital failure itself, rather than the fault of one partner, may be grounds for a split. With change, alas, has come strain."

• Marriage is about love/commitment; gays qualify Marriage is a commitment to love and care for your spouse till death. This is what is heard in all wedding vows. Civil marriage vows emphasize love and commitment. Reproduction and child-rearing are not mentioned, nor is the sexual orientation of individuals. And, wedding vows, being the essential element of a wedding ceremony, should be seen as the most authoritative expression of what defines marriage. Gays can clearly qualify for marriage according to these vows, and any definition of marriage deduced from these vows.

• Many dictionaries include gays in "marriage" Daniel Redman. "Dictionaries recognize same-sex marriage—who knew?" Slate. April 7, 2009: "in their latest editions, the dictionaries have begun to switch sides—though until recently, no one seemed to have much noticed. The American Heritage Dictionary, Black's Law Dictionary, the Oxford English Dictionary, and Webster's have all added same-sex unions to their definitions of marriage."

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No

• Marriage is defined as between a man and woman. President Barack Obama has said on multiple occassions during his political career, including the 2008 presidential election campaign: "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman."[2] Indeed, marriage, throughout its thousands of years of existence, has only been used to describe the union of a man and woman, toward the general end of starting a family and raising children. To change the definition to include gays would go against thousands of years of history, from which definitions are formed and should be maintained.

• Marriage can evolve, but only in context of man and woman Margaret A. Somerville. "The case against "Same-sex marriage." Marriage Institute. April 29, 2003: "One argument in favour of same-sex marriage is that the culture of marriage has changed over the years and that recognizing same-sex marriage is just another change. A common example given is the change in the status of the woman partner, in that marriage is now seen as a union of equals. But that change goes to a collateral feature of marriage, not its essential nature or essence as recognizing same-sex marriage would. In short, these two changes are not analogous; rather, they are fundamentally different in kind."

• Marriage is celebrated because of the assumption of procreation Marriage is not special simply because two people love each other. Otherwise, two unmarried persons who love each other would have a relationship that is equally celebrated by friends, family, and society. Marriage is special because it is the relationship in which people enter when they plan on bringing new life into the world.

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Reproduction: Is the key function of marriage not procreation?

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Yes

• Procreation is no prerequisite for marriage and excluding gays "Religion & Ethics - Same-Sex Marriage: Procreation." BBC. February 24th, 2007: "society does not insist that those who want to marry demonstrate that they can and will have children: 1. heterosexuals who cannot have children are allowed to marry. 2. heterosexuals who don't want to have children are allowed to marry. 3. heterosexuals who don't want to have sex are allowed to marry (although the partners must have agreed to this before marriage). 4. heterosexuals who can't have sex because one partner is in prison for life are allowed to marry. 5. heterosexuals can use technical assistance to have children. 6. same-sex couples can have children using the same methods."

• Vows are about love, not reproduction; gays qualify The Standard Civil Ceremony is as follows: "[Name], I take you to be my lawfully wedded [husband/wife]. Before these witnesses I vow to love you and care for you as long as we both shall live. I take you, with all of your faults and strengths, as I offer myself to you with my faults and strengths. I will help you when you need help, and will turn to you when I need help. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life." The emphasis is squarely on commitment and love, and has nothing to do with reproduction and starting a family. On this core, clearly gays qualify for marriage, because they can love and commit to each other.

• Marriage is about much more than kids; gays qualify "Let them wed." Economist. January 4th, 1996: "It is true that the single most important reason society cares about marriage is for the sake of children. But society's stake in stable, long-term partnerships hardly ends there. Marriage remains an economic bulwark. Single people (especially women) are economically vulnerable, and much more likely to fall into the arms of the welfare state. Furthermore, they call sooner upon public support when they need care—and, indeed, are likelier to fall ill (married people, the numbers show, are not only happier but considerably healthier). Not least important, marriage is a great social stabiliser of men."

• Gays can reproduce and start a family. For a lesbian couple, one woman's egg can be implanted into their female partner's uterus and then fertilized with an unknown donor's sperm. After the baby is born, instead of the father's name being used, the other spouse's names can be stated. Gay couples can also reproduce using one man's sperm and a surrogate mother. In both situations, the couples can raise-children, and fit any criteria of marriage being about reproduction and starting a family.

• Gays cannot recklessly procreate as straights can A New York Court ruled in 2006 presented what is known as the “reckless procreation” rationale in favor of gay marriage. "Heterosexual intercourse," the plurality opinion stated, "has a natural tendency to lead to the birth of children; homosexual intercourse does not." Gays become parents, the opinion argued, in a number of ways, including adoption and artificial insemination, “but they do not become parents as a result of accident or impulse.”[3] In other words, the non-procreative nature of homosexuals is as much a blessing as it might be seen a curse.

• Gay marriage is no threat to procreation in overpopulated world Scott Bidstrup. "Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives": "5. Marriages are for ensuring the continuation of the species. The proponents of such an argument are going to have a really hard time persuading me that the human species is in any real danger of dying out through lack of procreation. If the ten percent of all the human race that is gay were to suddenly refrain from procreation, I think it is safe to say that the world would probably be better off."

• [[Argument: Marriage is a sign of affection and a symbol of further closeness and intimacy among two people. It shows love. As long as the two people have strong feelings for each other and wish to legitimise their relationship, why not? Sex and reproduction takes place in and out of marriages, just that only children born within a marriage is a legitimate child. However, who said marriage is for reproduction? Are you going to ban all couples from getting married if they don't want children? Already the world's population is increasing at very high rates. There is no need to reproduce like flowers as required in the 20th century when growth was the most important.Please, move on to the 21st century.

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No

• Marriage is mainly for reproduction; can't include gays Margarette Somerville. "The case against gay marriage." McGill Center for Medicine, Ethics and Law. April 29, 2003: "Marriage is, and has been for millennia, the institution that forms and upholds for society, the cultural and social values and symbols related to procreation. That is, it establishes the values that govern the transmission of human life to the next generation and the nurturing of that life in the basic societal unit, the family. [...] To change the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples would destroy its capacity to function in the ways outlined above, because it could no longer represent the inherently procreative relationship of opposite-sex pair-bonding."

• Marriage is not about love, but starting family Margarette Somerville. "The case against gay marriage." McGill Center for Medicine, Ethics and Law. April 29, 2003: "Jonathan Rauch, in his recent book Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America, defines marriage as essentially a legally enforced, long-term relation of mutual aid and support between two sexual partners. Marriage, he says, "is putting one person ahead of all others." According to Rauch, "if marriage means anything at all," it is knowing "that there is someone out there for whom you are always first in line." We can here leave aside how odd this definition will sound to any married couple with young children, partners whose first responsibility is not obviously spousal."

• Marriage is categorically about procreation despite exceptions Susan M. Shell. "The liberal case against gay marriage." Public Interest. Summer 2004: "marriage, in all the diversity of its forms, draws on a model of partnership rooted in human generation. [...] Gay relations bear a less direct relation to the generative act in its full psychological and cultural complexity than relations between heterosexual partners, even when age, individual preference, or medical anomaly impede fertility. Gay relations have a plasticity of form, an independence from natural generation, for which they are sometimes praised, but which, in any case, also differentiates them from their heterosexual counterparts." In other words, male-female partnerships, categorically, hold the potential for procreation. It is true that there are exceptions, such as infertile couples, but these are exceptions. Gays, conversely, cannot, as a category, reproduce together. This makes them ineligible for marriage, while still making it acceptable for infertile male-female marriages to exist, as they are consistent with the rule.

• Denying marriage to infertile would be too costly Adam Kolasinksi. "The Secular Case Against Gay Marriage." The Tech (M.I.T.) February 20th, 2004: "A small minority of married couples are infertile. However, excluding sterile couples from marriage, in all but the most obvious cases such as those of blood relatives, would be costly. Few people who are sterile know it, and fertility tests are too expensive and burdensome to mandate."

• Marriage is safety-net for accidental pregnancies (N/A for gays). Marriage is often about men "doing the right thing" and marrying a woman that they make pregnant. This is beneficial for society as it discourages single-parent child-rearing. Homosexuals do not experience this circumstance and cannot claim marriage as a reason to aid children. This is an additional reason for denying them the ability to marry; it doesn't provide the same utility to society as it does for heterosexual child-rearing.

• Gay marriage undercuts procreation at time of vulnerability Margarette Somerville. "The case against gay marriage." McGill Center for Medicine, Ethics and Law. April 29, 2003: "We now need the procreative symbolism of marriage more than in past, because of new technoscience possibilities for transmitting life, if we believe that, ethically, there should be limits on the use of these technologies."

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Tradition: Is tradition insufficient to ban gay marriage?

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Pro

• How about washing? Traditions can be made, traditions can be destroyed, traditions can be followed. Just because something is traditional, doesn't mean that we should follow them. During the Middle Ages, bathing and washing was considered sinful and untraditional. Does that mean that we should not bathe and wash just for the sake of tradition? No. Like this, traditions disappear when they make no sense and when we no longer need them. Traditions are made because we need them. We're entering a new age. Let's face it. The rules don't apply anymore, and traditions are rapidly disappearing.

• Gay marriage should not be banned for tradition Ted Olson. "The conservative case for gay marriage." Newsweek. January 12, 2010: "The explanation mentioned most often is tradition. But simply because something has always been done a certain way does not mean that it must always remain that way. Otherwise we would still have segregated schools and debtors' prisons."

• Being unaccustomed to gay marriage is no argument "Let them wed." Economist. January 4th, 1996: "In the end, leaving aside (as secular governments should) objections that may be held by particular religions, the case against homosexual marriage is this: people are unaccustomed to it. It is strange and radical. That is a sound argument for not pushing change along precipitously. Certainly it is an argument for legalising homosexual marriage through consensual politics (as in Denmark), rather than by court order (as may happen in America). But the direction of change is clear. If marriage is to fulfill its aspirations, it must be defined by the commitment of one to another for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health—not by the people it excludes."

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Con

• Gay marriage threatens cultural tradition of marriage Margarette Somerville. "The case against gay marriage." McGill Center for Medicine, Ethics and Law. April 29, 2003: "To form a society, we must create a societal-cultural paradigm — the collection of values, principles, attitudes, beliefs, and myths, the “shared story” through which we find values and meaning in life, as both individuals and society. In establishing a societal-cultural paradigm all human societies have focused on the two great events of every human life: birth and death. Marriage is a central part of the culture — values, attitudes, beliefs — that surrounds birth. We require a culture related to birth in a secular society, at least as much as in a religious one, and must establish it through secular means. That is one reason why the legal recognition of marriage is important."

• Yes. This is why supporters of same-sex marriage do not fight to legalize polygamy People who wish to change the definition of marriage to include same-sex relationships insist that marriage remain as a union between no more and no less than two persons. This is because marriage traditionally involves two persons.

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Marriage institution: Can gay-inclusion uphold the institution of marriage?

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Yes

• Gay marriage does not devalue institution of marriage Ted Olson. "The conservative case for gay marriage." Newsweek. January 12, 2010: "Another argument, vaguer and even less persuasive, is that gay marriage somehow does harm to heterosexual marriage. I have yet to meet anyone who can explain to me what this means. In what way would allowing same-sex partners to marry diminish the marriages of heterosexual couples? Tellingly, when the judge in our case asked our opponent to identify the ways in which same-sex marriage would harm heterosexual marriage, to his credit he answered honestly: he could not think of any."

• Gays strengthen marriage by desiring it "The case for gay marriage." The Economist. February 26th, 2004: "Gays want to marry precisely because they see marriage as important: they want the symbolism that marriage brings, the extra sense of obligation and commitment, as well as the social recognition."

• Gay marriage doesn't weaken desire of straights to marry Ted Olson. "The conservative case for gay marriage." Newsweek. January 12, 2010: "Preventing lesbians and gays from marrying does not cause more heterosexuals to marry and conceive more children. Likewise, allowing gays and lesbians to marry someone of the same sex will not discourage heterosexuals from marrying a person of the opposite sex. How, then, would allowing same-sex marriages reduce the number of children that heterosexual couples conceive?"

• Gay marriage is no social experiment; it's tried and tested It has demonstrated to be successful in many countries around the world and in states in the US. The results are no longer unclear. Gay marriage is harmless, and in fact beneficial.

• Gay marriage is no worse for institution than other things Tod Lindberg. "The case against gay marriage." Washington Times Op-ed. 2003: "Will the union of Mr. X and Mr. Y in particular, who want only to be married, be any worse for the 'institution of marriage' than any number of existing unions that fall far short of the social ideal, or for that matter fail altogether? This is an impossible contention."

• Straights have done more to weaken marriage than gays "The case for gay marriage." The Economist. February 24th, 2004: "The weakening of marriage has been heterosexuals' doing, not gays', for it is their infidelity, divorce rates and single-parent families that have wrought social damage."

• Gay marriage would reduce pressure on gays to marry straight. Without gay marriage, homosexuals are often pressured to marry straight, causing terrible emotional and social strife and undermining the institution of marriage.

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No

• Gay marriage devalues the institution of marriage It has been this way throughout history, regardless of religion, in ALL societies from primative to developed. It is natural law. It provides the structure for procreation and then nurturing, educating, and developing the children into productive members of society. Each child needs a father and a mother in their upbringing to model both. There is ample evidence that when either are missing, poverty and dysfunction increases (however noble the efforts of the single parent).

• Gay marriage devalues marriage, frequency of obtaining it "High Cost of Tampering with Marriage – Kids Hit Hardest." Alliance Defense Fund on OpposingViews.com: "according to David Blankenhorn's book, The Future of Marriage, evidence suggests that when states adopt same-sex “marriage,” opposite-sex couples are more likely to decide that there is no need to get married prior to having children (cause and effect is an open question, but the correlation is definite). An increase in single parenthood and family dissolution as a secondary effect of devaluing marriage will be devastating to children and will generate significant additional costs to taxpayers."

• Gay marriage is a radical social experiment Jack Kerwick. "The failed case for gay marriage." Intellectual Conservative. February 19th, 2010: "Gay marriage" would mark, at the very least, a potentially radical alteration in the institution of marriage. We don't know what its impact, not just on marriage, but on a host of institutions, will be, but we do know that it will have an impact, and a considerable one at that. The critics of 'gay marriage' do no one a bad turn, then, in refusing to exchange a certain present for a most uncertain future."

• Bad straight marriages don't excuse gay marriage Margarette Somerville. "The case against gay marriage." McGill Center for Medicine, Ethics and Law. April 29, 2003: "One common response [pro gay marriage argument] is to point out the deficiencies of marriage. The issue is not, however, whether all or most opposite-sex couples attain the ideals of marriage in relation to fulfilling the needs of the children they produce. Neither is the issue whether marriage is a perfect institution — it is not. It is, rather, whether we should work from a basic presumption that children need a mother and a father, preferably their own biological parents. I believe they do. The issue is, also, whether society would be worse off without the aspirational ideals established by traditional marriage. I believe it would be."

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Slippery slope: Can gay marriage avoid slippery slope to incest etc?

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Pro

• Gay marriage "slippery slope" argument is scare-mongering Scott Bidstrup. "Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives": "[Claim] 9. Same-sex marriage would start us down a "slippery slope" towards legalized incest, bestial marriage, polygamy and all manner of other horrible consequences. [Answer:] A classic example of the reductio ad absurdum fallacy, it is calculated to instill fear in the mind of anyone hearing the argument. It is, of course, absolutely without any merit based on experience. If the argument were true, wouldn't that have already happened in countries where forms of legalized gay marriage already exist? Wouldn't they have 'slid' towards legalized incest and bestial marriage? The reality is that a form of gay marriage has been legal in Scandinavian countries for many years, and no such legalization has happened, nor has there been a clamor for it. It's a classic scare tactic."

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Con

• Gay marriage is slippery slope to polygamous marriage etc There are many possible ways in which gay marriage could lead to other attacks on the basic principles of marriage. It is possible that gay marriage will be seen as an opportunity by polygamists and polyamorists to attempt to obtain marriage rights. What logic could stop this if marriage is offered to homosexuals? If the traditional definition of marriage is stretched to include homosexuals, what rationale could prevent it from being stretched to include polygamy and polyamory? The same justifications for gay marriage could be put forward by polygamists and polyamorists; That there relationship is based on love and commitment. And, obviously, if marriage is extended to these groups, the traditional institution of marriage and the principles that it stands on will be damaged if not utterly destroyed.

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Civil rights: Is gay marriage a civil right?

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Pro

• Gay marriage is a fundamental, equal right Ted Olson. "The conservative case for gay marriage." Newsweek. January 12, 2010: "Legalizing same-sex marriage would also be a recognition of basic American principles, and would represent the culmination of our nation's commitment to equal rights. It is, some have said, the last major civil-rights milestone yet to be surpassed in our two-century struggle to attain the goals we set for this nation at its formation."

• Marriage ban makes gays second class citizens Ted Olson. "The conservative case for gay marriage." Newsweek. January 12, 2010: "When we refuse to accord this status to gays and lesbians, we discourage them from forming the same relationships we encourage for others. And we are also telling them, those who love them, and society as a whole that their relationships are less worthy, less legitimate, less permanent, and less valued. We demean their relationships and we demean them as individuals. I cannot imagine how we benefit as a society by doing so."

• Gay marriage is civil rights issue about ending hardships Scott Bidstrup. "Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives": "When gay people say that this is a civil rights issue, we are referring to matters like the fact that we cannot make medical decisions for our partners in an emergency. Instead, the hospitals are usually forced by state laws to go to the families who may be estranged from us for decades, who are often hostile to us, and totally ignore our wishes for the treatment of our partners. [...] These aren't just theoretical issues, either; they happen with surprising frequency."

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Con

• Gays have no right to marry; neither do incestuous Adam Kolasinksi. "The Secular Case Against Gay Marriage." The Tech (M.I.T.) February 20th, 2004: "state recognition of marriage is not a universal right. States regulate marriage in many ways besides denying men the right to marry men, and women the right to marry women. Roughly half of all states prohibit first cousins from marrying, and all prohibit marriage of closer blood relatives, even if the individuals being married are sterile. In all states, it is illegal to attempt to marry more than one person, or even to pass off more than one person as one's spouse. Some states restrict the marriage of people suffering from syphilis or other venereal diseases. Homosexuals, therefore, are not the only people to be denied the right to marry the person of their choosing."

• Gay marriage is no private matter, but a public issue Margarette Somerville. "The case against gay marriage." McGill Center for Medicine, Ethics and Law. April 29, 2003: "marriage is not just a matter of private decision-making, it is also of concern to society. That becomes most apparent when a marriage breaks down and ends up in the divorce courts. [...] If society has a valid interest in marriage, as I believe it does, it must remain involved in marriage through the law."

• Gay exclusion is just to protect procreative marriage Margarette Somerville. "The case against gay marriage." McGill Center for Medicine, Ethics and Law. April 29, 2003: "People advocating same-sex marriage argue that we should accept that the primary purpose of marriage is to give social and public recognition to an intimate relationship between two people, and, therefore, to exclude same-sex couples is discrimination. They are correct if the primary purpose of marriage is to protect an intimate pair-bond. But they are not correct if its primary purpose is to protect the inherently procreative relationship of opposite-sex pair-bonding or to protect an intimate relationship for the purposes of its procreative potential. When marriage is limited to opposite-sex couples, there is no need to choose between these purposes, because they are compatible with each other and promote the same goal. The same is not true if marriage is extended to include same-sex couples. That would necessarily eliminate marriage’s role in symbolizing and protecting the procreative relationship."

• Free association Everyone has the right to enter whatever consensual relationships they choose, but no one has the right to have the government recognize and grant special benefits to them merely because of that relationship. Thus, the law cannot recognize "gay marriage", "straight marriage", and "bisexual marriage" as distinct rights. If it did, then there would be no equality amongst them because gays would not have "straight marriage rights", bisexuals would not have "gay marriage rights", etc. Further, being unmarried is just as much a right as being married, yet the law should not create "unmarried rights".

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Race analogy: Is gay marriage ban analogous to interracial marriage ban?

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Pro

• Gay marriage ban is analogous to interracial marriage ban Gail Mathabane. "Gays face same battle interracial couples fought." USA Today. January 25, 2004: "Before the U.S. Supreme Court delivered the landmark Loving decision, interracial couples were in the same boat that same-sex couples are in today. They were vilified, persecuted and forbidden to marry. Interracial marriage was considered a felony punishable by five years in a state penitentiary."

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Con

• Gay marriage ban is incomparable to biracial ban Adam Kolasinksi. "The Secular Case Against Gay Marriage." The Tech (M.I.T.) February 20th, 2004: "Some have compared the prohibition of homosexual marriage to the prohibition of interracial marriage. This analogy fails because fertility does not depend on race, making race irrelevant to the state's interest in marriage. By contrast, homosexuality is highly relevant because it precludes procreation."

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Discrimination: Is the case against gay marriage simply discriminatory?

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Pro

• All anti-gay-marriage arguments are ultimately anti-gay Tod Lindberg. "The case against gay marriage." Washington Times Op-ed. 2003: "I think that once you grant the essential premise, namely, the presumption of equality, there is only one basis for saying 'no' to Mr. X and Mr. Y, and that is that what they are doing is wrong. The only serious basis for claiming that gay marriage undermines marriage (the union of a man and woman) is that the problem lies not with the 'marriage' part of gay marriage but with the 'gay' part. Thus, one denies the status of marriage to those whose union, being sinful or immoral, is precisely not that of holy matrimony."

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Con

• Opponents of gay marriage are not simply "anti-gay" Jack Kerwick. "The failed case for gay marriage." Intellectual Conservative. February 19th, 2010: "Presumably, the mere fact that homosexuals are denied something that they value or desire proves that the resistance which they face is driven by 'hate.' The grossly simplistic and glaring question-begging of this reasoning aside, when taken to its extreme logical term, it's blatant silliness becomes obvious as well, for its inescapable implication is that whenever anyone's desires are frustrated by others, it can only be because of the latter's hatred of them." It should be noted that many supporters of homosexuality (such as Barack Obama), and many homosexuals themselves, oppose gay marriage, often in support of civil unions.

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Stability: Does gay marriage encourage stable relationships?

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Pro

• Being married is a source of stability and commitment "Case No. S147999 in the Supreme Court of the State of California": "Being married is a source of stability and commitment for the relationship between spouses. Barriers to terminating a marriage include feelings of obligation to one’s spouse, children, and other family members; moral and religious values about divorce; legal restrictions; financial concerns; and the expected disapproval of friends and the community."

• Gay marriage encourages stable gay relationships/families "The case for gay marriage." The Economist. February 26th, 2004: "Allowing gays to marry would, if anything, add to social stability, for it would increase the number of couples that take on real, rather than simply passing, commitments."

• Marriage gives gays a sense of future, purpose, belonging Andrew Sullivan. "The conservative case for gay marriage." Time. June 22, 2003: "For today's generation of gay kids, [with gay marriage,] [...] From the beginning, they will be able to see their future as part of family life — not in conflict with it. Their 'coming out' will also allow them a 'coming home.' And as they date in adolescence and early adulthood, there will be some future anchor in their mind-set, some ultimate structure with which to give their relationships stability and social support."

• Benefits of marriage help gays stay together By offering benefits for staying together, gay marriage incentivizes couples staying together.

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Con

• Gays can have stable relationships w/o marriage Adam Kolasinksi. "The Secular Case Against Gay Marriage." The Tech (M.I.T.) February 20th, 2004: "Some argue that homosexual marriages serve a state interest because they enable gays to live in committed relationships. However, there is nothing stopping homosexuals from living in such relationships today."

• Most gays don't care for marriage commitments. Most homosexuals are not interested in the restrictions and commitments of marriage. This simply argues against the notion that offering marriage will have a widespread stabilizing effect. Since very few gays will opt for it, little stability will be gained within the relatively promiscuous gay community.

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does gay marriage infringe on the human rights of people of a religion

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Pro

the human rights bill clearly states that a state must respect the diversity and rules of different faiths. in,for example, islam and catholicism, homosexuality is forbidden, therefore it is an infringement of the human rights of every catholic, muslim and people from many other faihs that oppose homosexuality if gay marriage is legalised.

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Con

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Social gain: Is gay marriage good for society?

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Pro

• Gay marriage is beneficial where it exists today Alliance Defense Fund on Opposing Views.com. Retrieved 3.1.2010: "Massachusetts no longer shuts committed same-sex couples out of marriage. The sky has not fallen, and actually communities are better off, because promoting responsibility is good for everyone. As observed by the Massachusetts newspaper The Republican, 'even some of [the] most vocal opponents have come to realize that the controversy over [allowing access to] marriage was a lot of fuss about nothing.' In fact, The Boston Globe reported that in the first election after the discrimination ended, 'every challenger to a supporter of gay marriage was defeated.'"

• Gay marriage discrimination lacks compelling state interest "Let them wed." Economist. January 4th, 1996: "Barring a compelling reason, governments should not discriminate between classes of citizens. [...] One objection is simply that both would-be spouses are of the same sex. That is no answer; it merely repeats the question. Perhaps, then, once homosexuals can marry, marital anarchy will follow? That might be true if homosexual unions were arbitrary configurations, mere parodies of “real” marriage. But the truth is that countless homosexual couples, especially lesbian ones, have shown that they are as capable of fidelity, responsibility and devotion as are heterosexual couples—and this despite having to keep their unions secret, at least until recently. Would gay marriage weaken the standard variety? There is little reason to think so. Indeed, the opposite seems at least as likely: permitting gay marriage could reaffirm society's hope that people of all kinds settle down into stable unions."

• Gay marriage discrimination weakens community bonds Ted Olson. "The conservative case for gay marriage." Newsweek. January 12, 2010: "Conservatives and liberals alike need to come together on principles that surely unite us. Certainly, we can agree on the value of strong families, lasting domestic relationships, and communities populated by persons with recognized and sanctioned bonds to one another. Confining some of our neighbors and friends who share these same values to an outlaw or second-class status undermines their sense of belonging and weakens their ties with the rest of us and what should be our common aspirations."

• Gay spouses can helpfully adopt orphaned kids. Many children in the United States, let alone the world are orphaned. Same sex spouses frequently adopt children in need of a family. This is highly socially beneficial. A child receives a family and no additional children are added into an over-populated world. And, gay marriage would increase the adoption rate, since many homosexual spouses will want to start a family just like straight spouses.

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Con

• Gay marriage does not help propagate society Adam Kolasinksi. "The Secular Case Against Gay Marriage." The Tech (M.I.T.) February 20th, 2004: "Homosexual relationships do nothing to serve the state interest of propagating society [...]."

• Gay marriage does not help society; can't justify costs Adam Kolasinksi. "The Secular Case Against Gay Marriage." The Tech (M.I.T.) February 20th, 2004: "Homosexual relationships do nothing to serve the state interest of propagating society, so there is no reason to grant them the costly benefits of marriage. [...] When a state recognizes a marriage, it bestows upon the couple certain benefits which are costly to both the state and other individuals. Collecting a deceased spouse's social security, claiming an extra tax exemption for a spouse, and having the right to be covered under a spouse's health insurance policy are just a few examples of the costly benefits associated with marriage. In a sense, a married couple receives a subsidy. Why? Because a marriage between to unrelated heterosexuals is likely to result in a family with children, and propagation of society is a compelling state interest. For this reason, states have, in varying degrees, restricted from marriage couples unlikely to produce children."

• Gay marriage wrongly legitimizes homosexuality Al Rantell, a homosexual talk-show host in LA. “forcing a change to an institution as fundamental and established by civilization as marriage is deemed by gay activists and other cultural ’liberals’ as the equivalent of the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval for homosexuality itself. The reasoning goes that if someone can marry someone of the same sex, then being gay is as acceptable and normal as being short or tall.”[4] This is a legitimate concern to individuals that don't see homosexuality as a natural and moral practise, and who would rather not encourage it.

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Parenting: Can homosexuals do a good job of parenting?

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Yes

• Children do not need male/female parent role models Kenji Yoshino. "Too good for Marriage." NYTimes Op-ed. July 14th, 2006: "Like most arguments against gay marriage, this 'role model' argument assumes straight couples are better guides to life than gay couples. And like other blatantly anti-gay arguments, it falls apart under examination. In a decision last month in a case concerning gay foster parents, the Arkansas Supreme Court found no evidence that children raised by gay couples were disadvantaged compared with children raised by straight couples."

• Gay parenting is just as good as straight parenting Scott Bistrup. "Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives" (2004): "A long list of "studies, reports, and articles all reach the same conclusion: Children raised by lesbians and gay men do not differ from children raised by heterosexuals 'on measures of popularity, social adjustment, gender role behavior, gender identity, intelligence, self-concept, emotional problems, interest in marriage and parenting, locus of control, moral development, independence, ego functions, object relations, or self esteem.'"

• Gay marriage is separate issue from gay parenting "Let them wed." Economist. January 4th, 1996: "The question of children in homosexual households—adoption, especially—is thorny. That question, however, is mainly separate from the matter of marriage as such. In settling a child with guardians who are not the natural parents, the courts and adoption agencies will consider a variety of factors, just as they do now; a couple's homosexuality may be one such factor (though it need not, by itself, be decisive)."

• Quality of parenting should not be a factor against gay marriage This is because it is not a legal factor in ordinary marriages. Many characteristics of individuals would lead one to believe that there is a high probability that they will be bad parents, but this cannot cause the state to ban these individuals from becoming married parents. Neither should it for gay couples.

• Children always benefit from two parents, gay or straight Sears and Hirsch. "Gay Marriage: Pro and Con." December 2nd, 2003: "Numerous studies confirm that children of single parents fare less well than children in two-parent homes [gay or straight] in almost every respect - they are more likely to end up poor, addicted to drugs, uneducated, unemployed, and incarcerated."

• Gays raise children now, but at a disadvantage w/o marriage Gay couples currently have the right to raise children and they are exercising that right. So, first, to claim that denying them marriage is somehow protecting children is counter to the de facto reality. Second, those homosexual couples that choose to raise children, but who are denied marriage, are denied the benefits to child-rearing that marriage offers. This is unfair to the children of homosexual couples as well as to gay couples.

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No

• Children have a claim to biological parents Margarette Somerville. "The case against gay marriage." McGill Center for Medicine, Ethics and Law. April 29, 2003: "Our societies have also adopted adult-centred as compared with child-centred reproductive decision-making. Child-centred means, among other requirements, that we should work from a presumption that, if at all possible, children have a valid claim to be raised by their own biological parents. We must consider the ethics of intentionally creating a situation that is otherwise: It requires justification."

• Diff b/w allowing gay parenting and sanctioning it w/ marriage Margarette Somerville. "The case against gay marriage." McGill Center for Medicine, Ethics and Law. April 29, 2003: "There is an ethical difference between individuals choosing to create such a situation [of a gay couple raising a child] and society authorizing or facilitating it [through marriage]. While society would have ethical obligations not to interfere with the freedom of individuals in relation to reproduction [...] it also has obligations not to facilitate the creation of situations that are not in the “best interests” of children. In short, the compliance of society in helping to create non-traditional families in which children will be raised is not an ethically neutral act."

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Economics: Is gay marriage economical?

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Yes

• Gay marriage is a stable economic partnership "Let them wed." Economist. January 4th, 1996: "It is true that the single most important reason society cares about marriage is for the sake of children. But society's stake in stable, long-term partnerships hardly ends there. Marriage remains an economic bulwark. Single people (especially women) are economically vulnerable, and much more likely to fall into the arms of the welfare state. Furthermore, they call sooner upon public support when they need care—and, indeed, are likelier to fall ill (married people, the numbers show, are not only happier but considerably healthier). Not least important, marriage is a great social stabiliser of men."

• Marriage ban impairs ability of employers to attract gays Lambda Legal on OppossingViews.com: "The exclusion from marriage also impairs the ability of employers, large and small, to attract and retain the most comprehensive pool of talented and committed employees. Current and prospective employees place a value on whether they live in a place that supports their commitment to take care of and be responsible for a loved one. They often will make their employment decisions based on whether the state respects that value."

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No

• Gay marriage's legal benefits would strain taxpayers While it is true that homosexuals would benefit financial by getting married and receiving the benefits of marriage, that is actually a concern in many people's eyes. The concern is simply that a change in law that allows same-sex marriage will suddenly create a major financial strain on taxpayers that fund marriage benefits. Hundreds of thousands of same-sex marriages would result from any cross-the-board legalization. Given the significance of the benefits provided to married couples, the new strains would be substantial on tax-payers.

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Benefits: Is extending benefits of marriage to gays important?

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Pro

• Benefits for gays are much better when in marriage "Marriage Helps Couples Keep Their Commitments." Lambda Legal on Opposing Views.com: "Many same-sex couples cannot afford the legal documents that create the few protections available. Those who can afford them, while increasing their security, still find that the documents are sometimes ignored in certain situations. That is no surprise because the exclusion from marriage marks the couple as unworthy and thus deserving of discrimination. It’s wrong to put committed couples in harm’s way and cause these tragedies."

• Marriage allows gays to see each other in hospitals. Lambda Legal re-visits a story on OpposingViews.com about Bobby Daniel, a gay man dying in a hospital. His lifelong partner Bill Flanigan was kept for hours in the waiting room because he was not considered "family". Bill would later say, "When you love someone and make a commitment to each other for good times and bad, there is an awful feeling when you can’t follow through on your promises. I have a huge hole in my heart, and my soul, because I wasn’t allowed to be with Bobby when he needed me most."[5] Marriage ensures that gay couples can see each other in any hospital no matter the circumstances. This is a fundamental right that should be afforded to couples.

• Gays are taxpaying citizens, deserve marriage benefits Christopher Ott. "Banning same-sex marriage would protect no one." Progressive.org. February 8, 2005: "Do [opponents] really think it's fair for gay and lesbian people to pay the same taxes as everyone else, but to be denied the hundreds of rights, benefits and protections of marriage?"

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Con

• Gays can already obtain most benefits of marriage Adam Kolasinksi. "The Secular Case Against Gay Marriage." The Tech (M.I.T.) February 20th, 2004: "Advocates of gay marriage claim gay couples need marriage in order to have hospital visitation and inheritance rights, but they can easily obtain these rights by writing a living will and having each partner designate the other as trustee and heir. There is nothing stopping gay couples from signing a joint lease or owning a house jointly, as many single straight people do with roommates. The only benefits of marriage from which homosexual couples are restricted are those that are costly to the state and society."

• Civil unions offer same benefits as marriage Susan Shell. "The liberal case against gay marriage." Public Interest. Summer, 2004: "Keeping the goals that advocates emphasize in mind, one can reach a principled and liberal public policy toward gay marriage. Most, if not all, of the goals of the gay marriage movement could be satisfied in the absence of gay marriage. Many sorts of individuals, and not just gay couples, might be allowed to form "civil partnerships" dedicated to securing mutual support and other social advantages. If two unmarried, elderly sisters wished to form such a partnership, or two or more friends (regardless of sexual intimacy) wanted to provide mutually for one another "in sickness and in health," society might furnish them a variety of ways of doing so--from enhanced civil contracts to expanded "defined benefit" insurance plans, to new ways of dealing with inheritance." See Debate: Civil unions vs. gay marriage for more arguments along these lines.

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Religion: Is gay marriage acceptable on religious grounds?

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Yes

• Religious arguments are unacceptable on civil gay marriages "The case for gay marriage" The Economist. February 26th, 2007: "It is no business of the state to impose a religious choice. Indeed, in America the constitution expressly bans the involvement of the state in religious matters, so it would be especially outrageous if the constitution were now to be used for religious ends [that aim to ban gay marriage]."

• Gay marriage is a civil, not religious, issue Andrew Sullivan. "The conservative case for gay marriage." Time. June 22, 2003: "As for religious objections, it's important to remember that the issue here is not religious. It's civil. Various religious groups can choose to endorse same-sex marriage or not as they see fit. Their freedom of conscience is as vital as gays' freedom to be treated equally under the civil law. And there's no real reason that the two cannot coexist."

• Civil gay marriage doesn't limit Church rights to refuse marriages The state legalizing civil gay marriage does not change the right of churches to deny marriages to gays.

• Many faith groups welcome gay marriage. The Pagan religion Wicca, for example, has "hand-fasting" which is equivalent to a wedding, and which does not exclude homosexuals. There are other examples of religions that accept homosexual marriage. Therefore, we need to look at everyone and not just one religion.

• Religious "rules" apply only to those in that religion. For example, if a Christian man opposes homosexuality because of his religion, he'll not marry another man to "obey the rule". But that does NOT mean that he has the right to decide if other individuals can/cannot marry. If your religion doesn't allow homosexuality, then just keep it to yourself; why not let others? It's not like everyone in the world believes in your religion.

• Bible offers poor model for defining marriage Lisa Miller. "Our Mutual Joy." Newsweek. December 6th, 2008: "Let's try for a minute to take the religious conservatives at their word and define marriage as the Bible does. Shall we look to Abraham, the great patriarch, who slept with his servant when he discovered his beloved wife Sarah was infertile? Or to Jacob, who fathered children with four different women (two sisters and their servants)? Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon and the kings of Judah and Israel—all these fathers and heroes were polygamists." [See argument page for extended argument]

• Bible does not explicitly define marriage b/w man and woman Lisa Miller. "Our Mutual Joy." Newsweek. December 6th, 2008: "while the Bible and Jesus say many important things about love and family, neither explicitly defines marriage as between one man and one woman."

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No

• Laws are divinely inspired, depend on God's def of marriage Pat Boone. "Marriage: One man, one woman." Knight Ridder. May 14, 2004: "'Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure,' Jefferson asked, 'when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath?' [...] Our views on marriage are shaped not only by America’s laws, but by God’s laws. It is part of the shared heritage of the civilized world. [...] There are moral absolutes in this life — and the sacred institution of marriage is one of them."

• Churches should not have to offer gay marriage. The state has an institution of it's own called the "Civil Union". The state should recognize civil unions between same sex couples, since they should be afforded the same rights under government as any other partnership (i.e. marriage). The idea of marriage should be defined only in the context of religious beliefs, and the state should not have any power over what the church deems as appropriate or inappropriate.

• Legalizing gay marriage will incite attacks on Churches If gay marriages are sanctioned, religious organizations that don’t allow homosexual marriages and don’t recognize gay marriage as legitimate will come under attack for their beliefs and when preaching the bible. It may even come that preaching the bible and the same religion the United States was built upon, will be unconstitutional, charged with hate crimes.

• The Catholic Church opposes gay marriage The Catholic Church is the most prominent of Christian institutions. The Vatican's opposition to gay marriage carries significant weight against the notion of gay marriage.

• Religious cases that marriage is between a man and woman
  • "The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality," from the Pontifical Council for the Family.
  • "Humanae Vitae"; "Love and Responsibility".
  • John Paul II's "Theology of the Body".
  • The Catechism of the Catholic Church.

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Internationally: What is the impact of gay marriage internationally?

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Pro

• Gay marriage exists successfully in many countries Alliance Defense Fund on OpposingViews.com. Retrieved 3.1.2010: "Twenty-eight nations have helped same-sex couples keep their commitments, and the sky hasn’t fallen. For the United States to lag behind so many other nations contradicts its own history and principles. [...] Same-sex couples can marry under legislation passed in Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, and The Netherlands. Such couples have many of the protections of marriage in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay. And they have at least some protections in Andorra, Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Israel, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia, and Switzerland. That’s 28 nations ahead of the United States in keeping promises and helping couples keep their own promises."

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Con

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Public opinion: Where does opinion stand?

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Pro

• Public opinion should not effect right to gay marriage Gail Mathabane. "Gays face same battle interracial couples fought." USA Today. January 25, 2004: "Critics of gay marriage point to polls that seem to support their position. In a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll last month, 65% said they oppose same-sex marriage. But mass opinion should not dictate judicial decisions. In 1948, when California became the first state to strike down a ban on interracial marriage, nine out of 10 Americans opposed such unions."

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Con

• Acceptance of gay marriage should not be imposed on citizens Susan Shell. "The liberal case against gay marriage." Public Interest. Summer, 2004: "That liberal sword cuts both ways [...] American citizens should not have the sectarian beliefs of gay-marriage advocates imposed on them unwillingly. If proponents of gay marriage seek certain privileges of marriage, such as legal support for mutual aid and childbearing, there may well be no liberal reason to deny it to them. But if they also seek positive public celebration of homosexuality as such, then that desire must be disappointed. The requirement that homosexual attachments be publicly recognized as no different from, and equally necessary to society as, heterosexual attachments is a fundamentally illiberal demand. [...] To insist otherwise is not only psychologically and culturally implausible; it imposes a sectarian moral view on fellow citizens who disagree and who may hold moral beliefs that are diametrically opposed to it."

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Civil unions: Is gay marriage better than civil unions?

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Yes

• See Debate: Civil unions vs. gay marriage Civil unions are "separate, but not equal" During the 50s and 60 in the United States, a segregationist principle was established called "separate but equal" under the Jim Crow laws of the time. This was struck down by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, who wrote: "The history of our nation has demonstrated that separate is seldom, if ever, equal."[6] Civil unions are precisely the same arrangement, attempting to give gays a "separate" arrangement than marriage, while conferring "equal" benefits. But, because "separate can never be equal", civil unions can never equal. Civil unions, therefore, are unequal, segregationist, and discriminatory, just as were the "separate but equal" laws of the past.

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No

• See Debate: Civil unions vs. gay marriage. Sample argument: Civil unions offer same benefits as marriage Susan Shell. "The liberal case against gay marriage." Public Interest. Summer, 2004: "Keeping the goals that advocates emphasize in mind, one can reach a principled and liberal public policy toward gay marriage. Most, if not all, of the goals of the gay marriage movement could be satisfied in the absence of gay marriage. Many sorts of individuals, and not just gay couples, might be allowed to form "civil partnerships" dedicated to securing mutual support and other social advantages. If two unmarried, elderly sisters wished to form such a partnership, or two or more friends (regardless of sexual intimacy) wanted to provide mutually for one another "in sickness and in health," society might furnish them a variety of ways of doing so--from enhanced civil contracts to expanded "defined benefit" insurance plans, to new ways of dealing with inheritance."

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Homosexuality: Is homosexuality tolerable?

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Yes

• See Debate: Homosexuality Sample argument: Homosexuals are born gay, have no choice Ted Olson. "The conservative case for gay marriage." Newsweek. January 12, 2010: "Science has taught us, even if history has not, that gays and lesbians do not choose to be homosexual any more than the rest of us choose to be heterosexual. To a very large extent, these characteristics are immutable, like being left-handed."

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No

• See Debate: Homosexuality Homosexuality contradicts natural aim of sexuality "What's wrong with being gay?". Christian Answers.net: "The complementary structure of the male and female anatomy is obviously designed for the normal husband-wife relationships. Clearly, design in human biology supports heterosexuality and contradicts homosexuality."

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Activist groups

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Yes

• Advocate - Gay News Magazine
• American Veterans for Equal Rights - Gay Veterans
• BlogActive - Liberal Gay Political News
• Equality Campaign - Gay Political Organization
• Freedom to Marry Coalition - Pro-Gay Marriage Organization
• Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders - Gay Legal Organization
• Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) - Gay Organization
• Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund - Liberal Gay PAC
• News Blog - Gay News Site
• GoodAsYou.org - Gay News Site
• Human Rights Campaign - Gay PAC
• Independent Gay Forum - Gay Libertarians & Conservatives
• Lavender Green Caucus (Green Party) - Gay Greens
• Log Cabin Republicans - Gay Republicans
• Marriage Equality USA - Gay Organization
• Metropolitan Community Churches - Gay Christians
• National Black Justice Coalition - Gay African-Americans
• National Center for Lesbian Rights - Gay Organization
• National Gay & Lesbian Task Force - Liberal Gay Organization
• National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association - Gay Organization
• Outright Libertarians - Gay Libertarians
• National Stonewall Democratic Federation - Gay Democrats
• PageOneQ - Liberal Gay News Site
• Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG) - Pro-Gay Organization
• Planet Out: NewsPlanet - Gay News/Resource
• Rainbow World Fund - Gay Humanitarian Service Organization
• Republican Unity Coalition - Pro-Gay Republicans
• Mike Signorile - Gay Liberal Columnist
• Andrew Sullivan - Gay Conservative Columnist

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No

• Institute for Marriage and Public Policy
• Abiding Truth Ministries: Defending the Family - Christian Anti-Gay Rights Organization
• American Family Association - Christian Anti-Gay Rights Organization
• Americans for Truth - Christian Anti-Gay Rights Organization
• Campaign for Working Families - Christian Anti-Gay Rights PAC
• Center for Reclaiming America - Christian Anti-Gay Rights Organization
• Christian Coalition of America - Christian Anti-Gay Rights PAC
• Culture & Family Institute - Christian Anti-Gay Rights Organization
• Exodus International - Christian "Ex-Gays" Organization
• Family Research Council - Christian Anti-Gay Rights Organization
• Focus on the Family - Christian Anti-Gay Rights Organization
• Forerunner International: Homosexuality - Christian Anti-Gay Rights Organization
• GodHatesFags.com - Radical Christian Anti-Gay Organization
• NoGayMarriage.com - Christian Anti-Gay Rights Organization
• Parents & Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) - Christian Anti-Gay Rights Organization
• Repent America - Christian Anti-Gay Rights Organization
• Save Our Scouts - Anti-Gay Rights (Pro-BSA) Organization
• Traditional Values Coalition - Christian Anti-Gay Rights Organization

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Pro/con sources

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Yes

• Ted Olson. "The conservative case for gay marriage." Newsweek. January 12, 2010:
• "The case for gay marriage". The Economist. February 26th, 2004
• "Let them wed." Economist. January 4th, 1996
• Andrew Sullivan. "The conservative case for gay marriage." Time. June 22, 2003
• Kenji Yoshino. "Too good for Marriage." NYTimes Op-ed. July 14th, 2006
• William Eskridge. The case for same sex marriage. (1996)
• Lisa Miller. "Our Mutual Joy." Newsweek. December 6th, 2008
• Gail Mathabane. "Gays face same battle interracial couples fought." USA Today. January 25, 2004
• Tod Lindberg. "The case against gay marriage." Washington Times Op-ed. 2003
• Scott Bidstrup. "Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives"
• "Amend This! The Case for Gay Marriage." The Angry Liberal. February 24, 2004
• Robert Levy, Cato Institute Chairman. "The moral and constitutional case for a right to gay marriage." New York Daily News. January 7th 2010
• "Commentary: Latinos should see gay marriage a civil right." CNN. November 7, 2008
• Christopher Ott. "Banning same-sex marriage would protect no one." Progressive.org. February 8, 2005
• Pamela Taylor, Co-Founder of Muslims for Progressive Values. "Marriage: Both Civil and Religious." Washington Post. July 31, 2009
• Susan Smith. "Marriage a Civil Right, not Sacred Rite" Washington Post, July 30, 2009
• Daniel Redman. "Dictionaries recognize same-sex marriage—who knew?" Slate. April 7, 2009

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No

• Defense of Marriage Act. 1996
• Robert George. "One man one woman." Wall Street Journal. November 28, 2003
• Jack Kerwick. "The failed case for gay marriage." Intellectual Conservative. February 19th, 2010
• Margarette Somerville. "The case against gay marriage." McGill Center for Medicine, Ethics and Law. April 29, 2003
• Susan Shell. "The liberal case against gay marriage." Public Interest. Summer, 2004
• Susan M. Shell. "The liberal case against gay marriage." Public Interest. Summer of 2004
• Adam Kolasinksi. "The Secular Case Against Gay Marriage." The Tech (M.I.T.) February 20th, 2004
• Pat Boone. "Marriage: One man, one woman." Knight Ridder. May 14, 2004
• Alliance Defense Fund on Opposing Views
• Dale O'Leary. "One Man, One Woman: A Catholics Guide to Defending Marriage." (August 15, 2007)
• David Blankenhorn. "Protecting marriage to protect children." LA Times. September 19, 2008
• Maggie Gallagher. "Marriage Matters." National Review. July 13, 2004
• Alan Dershowitz. "To Fix Gay Dilemma, Government Should Quit the Marriage Business." December 3, 2003

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YouTube videos pro and con

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Yes

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No

See also

• Debate: Civil unions vs. gay marriage
• Debate: Should marriage be defined as only between a man and a woman?
• Debate: Same sex marriage ban in the US Constitution
• Debate: Gay adoption

External links

• Opposing Views debate on same sex marriage
• GayMarriedMen.Org
• RainbowGuide.Com
• Gay Marriage
• Californians Say No to Gay Marriages
• Legal Gay Marriages in the Netherlands
• National Marriage Week

Books:

• The Trouble with Normal – Sex, Politics and the Ethics of Queer Life : Michael Warner
• Recognizing Ourselves – Ceremonies of Lesbian and Gay Commitment : Ellen Lewis
• Freedom, Glorious Freedom : John Mcneill
• Queer Family Values - Rethinking Inclusion in Marriage and Private Life : Valerie Lehr

Videos