The benefits of Gay Marriage

Christina Rovet

The marriage of a man and woman has always offered endless benefits to couples. From tax relief to being able to visit a partner in the hospital; marriage allows many practices that are restricted between unmarried couples. The majority of people in the world would agree that marriage is something to be desired, and in most cases it makes life much easier on both partners. Why would something that is so important and that offers so many opportunities be denied to a person because of their sexual orientation? The ban on gay marriage is a policy that is not only unfair, but has become a civil rights issue. Not allowing a homosexual to marry is blatant discrimination.

This developing policy has also become an issue of separation of the church from the state. Who is the group that is mainly behind this amendment? Religious groups, to be more specific the Christians, have decided that gay marriage is wrong because the Bible states homosexuality as a sin. As I remember correctly; our constitution plainly states that there should be a separation of church and state, and that religious beliefs should not have any say in laws that are made. What is immoral for a Catholic is not necessarily immoral for our country as a whole.

The marriage of one man to one woman has strong social and economic advantages, and the children they may have also see the benefits of this. It is very difficult for a single mother to support a family by herself, and denying the rights of marriage to a gay couple is forcing them to have a “single parent household” in many ways. Employers of gay couples do not grant gay families health insurance as they would to a heterosexual couple. Maria Larrea’s family was a perfect example of this. Maria and her wife had to come up with over 300 dollars extra monthly to support their triplets’ health insurance. Also, since Maria’s partner had birthed the children Maria has almost no rights to them. If there was a medical emergency Maria may not be able to make decisions in the hospital for her children and if her partner died there is a possibility that the children would be taken away from Maria. Maria and her Wife did get married in Massachusetts, but were unable to find jobs there and returned to their home in Florida where their marriage is still not recognized as a legal union.

Civil Unions that are granted to gay couples are a good first step, but they are still not enough. There are not enough benefits granted in civil unions, not to mention that they are only recognized in Vermont. Much like the law against interracial relationships was broken down; we must also break down the walls of the ban against gay marriage. Full benefits should be given, and gay marriages should be recognized as equal to any heterosexual marriage.

In Demark gays have been allowed to marry for over a decade now. As the policy was changed the public opinion of gay marriage had changed with it. It is hopeful to believe that if the policy in the United States changes that the view on gays will change with it. It is believed that granting gays the right of marriage will help to evolve the nation into having more of a positive view upon homosexuals. I believe that a society that is so focused on equality and freedom should not discriminate against people for something as small as their sexual orientation.