Gay Marriage
A Speech by: Samantha Purcell
It should be legal in ALL states!
• It’s a right protected by the Constitution
• Would decrease discrimination based on sexual preference/identity
• Would result in lower divorce rates
• Would give gay couples benefits only given to married couples
• Claims against it are irrational and outdated
Equal rights
• Protected by the constitution• 14th Amendment: "No State shall make or enforce any
law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
• “A state law banning gay marriage clearly abridges the privileges of its citizens, deprives people of their liberty, and strictly denies people equal protection of the laws.” (ctpost.com)
Decreasing Descrimination
• Example: Tom Daley• Announced he was dating a
man, public went to social media with their thoughts
• Some people weren’t so supportive
More Common = More Accepted
• “Denying same-sex couples the right to marry stigmatizes gay and lesbian families as inferior and sends the message that it is acceptable to discriminate against them.” (ProCon.org)
• Allowing it would do just the opposite!
Lower Divorce Rates
• “In states where same-sex marriages are legally recognized, the divorce rate is 20 percent lower than in states that only allow marriages between a man and a woman. For example, Massachusetts, which was the first state to legalize same-sex marriage (in 2004), also has the lowest divorce rate in the country.” (huffingtonpost.com)
Marriage Benefits• Tax benefits
– Joint tax incomes with the IRS• Medical benefits
– Visiting your spouse in a hospital intensive care unit or during restricted visiting hours in other parts of a medical facility.
– Making medical decisions for your spouse if he or she becomes incapacitated and unable to express wishes for treatment.
• Family benefits– Filing for stepparent or joint adoption.– Applying for joint foster care rights.– Receiving equitable division of property if you divorce.
• Death benefits– Making burial or other final arrangements.
• (nolo.com)
Arguments Against Gay Marriage
• “Marriage is traditionally between a man and a woman.”– Okay.. I “traditionally” would have to stay in the house
and only wear dresses or skirts.. And yet here I am, wearing pants in a classroom.
• “The Bible says Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.”– Leviticus 19:27: Ye shall not round the corners of your
heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.– Leviticus 19:19: Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt
not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woolen come upon thee.
Arguments Against Gay Marriage
• “Next thing you know, a man can marry a dog, or his sister.”
• First of all, this is a complete exaggeration.
• Second of all-– This is not hurting anyone– This is no one else’s business– They’re happy, and that’s all that
matters
Arguments Against Gay Marriage
• “It will weaken the institution of marriage.”– I’ll just leave this here…
Works Cited
• "Gay Marriage ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013.
• Mallon, Bridget. "Gay Marriage: States That Allow Same-Sex Unions Have Lower
Divorce Rates." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 June
2013. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.• "Marriage Rights and Benefits." Nolo.com.
N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.• "Same-sex Marriage: A Constitutional Right."
Connecticut Post. N.p., 12 Aug. 2010. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.