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Gay Couples Should Have the Same Rights as Married Couples

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Gay Couples Should Have the Same Rights as Married Couples
Gay Couples Should Have the Same Rights as Married Couples

One of the leading political debates in our country today is the legalization of same-sex marriages. The very image of marriage is evolving on an on-going basis due to society and the major changes between society defined unions. The definition of marriage, as defined by Webster’s Dictionary, states “Marriage, n., (1) the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2) the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage <same-sex marriage>.” The change was not made until 2003. Marriage, as per society, is a special event in almost everyone’s life. Marriage should be about getting married to someone you love a natural event no matter what sex that person is. It is not just a piece of paper that binds you together; it also involves legal aspects, economic & social issues as well. I plan to focus on how these issues are intertwined.
An argument made by Nan Hunter, Marriage, Law & Gender, stated that legalizing lesbian and gay marriage will destabilize marriage’s gendered definition by disrupting the link between gender and marriage. Society discusses civil unions and domestic partnerships everyday; however neither of these is equal to or the same as a “legal” marriage. We are not afforded the same rights as heterosexual married couples. We cannot make decisions for our partners in life threatening events or be at the hospital bed with our partner because civil unions and domestic partnerships aren’t legal some companies. Same-sex couples aren’t allowed to leave pensions, retirement etc to their partners. If the company doesn’t have or allowed same-sex benefits’ your partner could lose everything. If America is a free place we should be allowed to make our own “free decisions”. There isn’t a logical reason same-sex couples can’t


Citations: Merriam-Webster 's collegiate dictionary (11th ed.). (2003). Springfield, MA: Merriam- Webster. www.prop8trialtracker.com www.boston.com/news www.hatecrime.org www.npr.org
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