November 4, 2010
Persuasive Essay
Gay discrimination is a major problem that affects individuals all across the country. The Defense of Marriage Act needs to be repealed. First, the Defense against Marriage Act will be explained and then why it needs to be repealed, then the effects the law has on society.
The federal government needs to give same sex couples the same health benefits that heterosexual couples receive. Currently, the government offers employees benefits such as health insurance and retirement savings, but they extend only to heterosexual couples. This means that same sex couples are not receiving the same amount of money as heterosexual couples. 57% of the fortune 500 companies, on the other hand, offer the same health benefits for same sex and heterosexual couples. This gives private companies a large advantage to attract employees or new recruits away from the federal government. They are stealing valuable assets and top talents away from the nation’s largest employer.
Obama has recently tried to equalize the benefits offered for federal employees by giving same sex couples long term sick care, leave to take care of others and benefits for Foreign Service workers. However, same sex couples are still not receiving the same benefits that heterosexual couples do. There is only so much the president can do. In order to fully change the law regarding benefits for federal employees, Congress is the one that needs to step up and establish equal benefits for all in our government. How can our government promise and claim freedom equality and liberty when they are discriminating against a large portion of their population?
We, as a society, cannot be expected to make changes in equality for same sex couples if our own national government is discriminating against them. What kind of message does that send to kids, our future generation, about being fair and equal if they see their own government being unfair to some of its people? It