Marriage Equality

Courtney Fraser
Professor
Ged 200
23 March 2013
Marriage Equality The controversy over whether same sex marriage should be legalized or not has been on debate for many years. Some people think that it would endanger the sanctity of marriage. Others say it is a threat towards traditional marriage. Even if states were to legalize same sex marriages, they would still have different rights according to the law.
Currently, nineteen states and the District of Columbia offer same-sex couples either marriage or a non-marriage. (Pizer, and Kuehl) However, West Virginia is not one of them. According to the Bible, in Genesis, it talks about the sanctity of marriage between and man and a woman but says nothing against two men or two women, that I saw. However, God intended the man and woman to be together and made them as such. The traditional marriage is between a man and a woman, but I do not see how same sex marriage is a threat to it. Just because some people want to marry someone else of the same sex does not mean that all people want to and that traditional marriage is going to be extinct. I find this argument to be absurd at the very least and find no evidence to back it up. According to the Federal government, traditional marriages and civil unions have very different rights. Traditional marriage is defined as “the formal union of a man and a woman, typically recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife.” Likewise, a civil union is defined as “a legally recognized union of a same-sex couple, with rights similar to those of marriage.” Although, as I was researching, the Federal government does not legally recognize them as married, even if the state does. Most, if not all of us, are aware of the rights between a married man and woman so I am not going to go into much detail with that. On the other hand, with same sex marriage, their rights are very limited. Couples in civil unions are not able or allowed to: * sponsorship immigration of another person * file joint-tax returns or be eligible for tax breaks or protections the government affords to married couples * have joint parental rights * have domestic violence protection * have “next-of-kin” status for hospital visits * get social security or Medicare
These are just a few of the many rights that they are denied. (Belge)
Recently, Hilary Clinton went public with her thoughts on gay and lesbian marriages. She says, “Marriage is a fundamental building block of our society” and “to deny the opportunity to our daughters and sons solely on who they are and who they love is to deny them the chance to live up to their own god given potential.” (Clinton and Madison) “For if we are truly created equal, the surely the love we commit to one another is equal as well.” (Obama, and Mears)
As for the people against same sex marriage, I have found little evidence of their argument. The only thing that I have seen is to why they are against it because according to Rev. Phillip H. Curtis, "Historically our marriage laws have been based on the Judeo-Christian view of marriage with its roots in the He-brew and Christian scriptures.” (Staff) I don’t think that some people are willing to change their views on this and open their minds to new ideals. I believe that same sex marriage should be a matter of preference. If I want to marry a woman, I should be allowed to marry a woman. I should also get the same benefits as any other married couple. I don’t think that it is right for the government to place their “opinion” on such matters.

Works Cited
Belge, Kathy. "What are the legal benefits of marriage? ." About.com. About.com. Web. 24 Mar 2013. <http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/wedding/f/MarriageBenefit.htm>.
Clinton, Hilary, and Lucy Madison. "Hillary Clinton announces support for same-sex marriage." CBS News. CBS News, 18 Mar 2013. Web. 24 Mar 2013. <http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57574870/hillary-clinton-announces-support-for-same-sex-marriage/>.
Obama, Presdent, and Bill Mears. "Obama views on same-sex marriage reflect societal shifts." CNN . N.p., 23 Mar 2013. Web. 24 Mar 2013. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/22/politics/court-same-sex-obama/>.
Pizer, Jennifer, and Sheila Kuehl. "Same-Sex Couples and Marriage: Model Legislation for Allowing Same-Sex Couples to Marry or All Couples to Form a Civil Union." The Williams Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar 2013. <http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/marriage-and-couples-rights/pizer-kuehl-model-marriage-civil-union-code-aug-2012/>.
Staff, News. "Emotional arguments for and against legalizing gay marriage in R.I.." Providence Journal. N.p., 22 Mar 2013. Web. 24 Mar 2013. <http://news.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/2013/03/emotional-arguments-for-and-against-legalizing-gay-marriage-in-ri.html>.

Cited: Belge, Kathy. "What are the legal benefits of marriage? ." About.com. About.com. Web. 24 Mar 2013. &lt;http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/wedding/f/MarriageBenefit.htm&gt;. Clinton, Hilary, and Lucy Madison. "Hillary Clinton announces support for same-sex marriage." CBS News. CBS News, 18 Mar 2013. Web. 24 Mar 2013. &lt;http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57574870/hillary-clinton-announces-support-for-same-sex-marriage/&gt;. Obama, Presdent, and Bill Mears. "Obama views on same-sex marriage reflect societal shifts." CNN . N.p., 23 Mar 2013. Web. 24 Mar 2013. &lt;http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/22/politics/court-same-sex-obama/&gt;. Pizer, Jennifer, and Sheila Kuehl. "Same-Sex Couples and Marriage: Model Legislation for Allowing Same-Sex Couples to Marry or All Couples to Form a Civil Union." The Williams Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar 2013. &lt;http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/marriage-and-couples-rights/pizer-kuehl-model-marriage-civil-union-code-aug-2012/&gt;. Staff, News. "Emotional arguments for and against legalizing gay marriage in R.I.." Providence Journal. N.p., 22 Mar 2013. Web. 24 Mar 2013. &lt;http://news.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/2013/03/emotional-arguments-for-and-against-legalizing-gay-marriage-in-ri.html&gt;.