Gay Marriage Controversy

Why Gay is Okay
It has been estimated that about 15,000 Gay and Lesbian youth commit suicide every year (“Suicide Facts”). In recent discussions of Gay Marriage, a controversial issue has been whether it should be legal or not. On the one hand, one group of observers argues that homosexuals should not be able to marry. On this view, being gay is a sin. On the other hand, another group argues that not letting homosexual couples marry is discrimination. According to this group, all people are equal regardless of how they choose to live. In sum, then, while one group argues against gay marriage, another argues for it. Marriage should be legal for all people because when it comes to marriage the church and state should be separate, gay marriage
Many people who are opposed to the idea of same-sex marriage are so because of their religious beliefs. However, the decision of marriage should not be made by the government, but by the couple that is in love. The First Amendment of our constitution states that a person’s religious views, or lack thereof, must be protected. It gives us freedom of religion, which means that a group of people should not be shamed for not having the same beliefs as others. Marriage by the state is secular, meaning that it not a religious activity, and the government should not infringe on others rights to marry due to their religion (Messerli). The government should have no say in who loves who, or take their opportunity to have a wedding because American law is not and was not based on religion. Although, a priest that does not agree with gay marriage should not be forced to marry a homosexual couple. Churches deserve the right to refuse any marriage they want. One major influence in the Catholic Church would be Pope Francis. During an interview when asked about how he feels about the sexual orientation of priests his response to reporters was, “if someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge” (Donadio). This is a message that people can learn from, why judge others if they are not being harmful to you or
The inclusion of gay marriage being legal in the US has the potential of adding 2.5 billion dollars annually into the economy, also depending on the state you are getting married in. This dollar amount is found by calculating the amount of money spent on weddings, as well as average marriage rates (Jasthi). Giving Gay couples the right to marry gives many people the opportunity to find a job, because when getting married the couples will need wedding planners and many other people to help them out. The average cost in America is around 26,000 dollars (“Average Wedding Cost”). The money spent on just the weddings alone would boost our economy greatly. This doesn’t even include the amount spent on raising a family. In the first couple years following the legalization of same sex marriage spending rates will be inflated. However, after several years couples will spend more money on weddings because they will have time to plan out their big day (Jasthi). Allowing gay couples to marry and adopt would increase the adoption rates in our country, this is due to the fact that they cannot reproduce. Increasing adoption rates would help get many children out of foster care and into a forever home. The legalization of same-sex marriage has the potential of increasing our money in the