Same-Sex Marriage
History, background information and current events on same-sex marriage.

The Issue:

• Determining whether marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law.
• Determining if same-sex couples should receive the same marriage benefits as heterosexual couples including tax breaks, estate planning, bereavement, etc.
• And, determining if same-sex couples should be allowed to have or adopt children under the same conditions as heterosexual couples.

Background:

There are currently hundreds and even thousands (in the case of the United States) of marriage benefits awarded to heterosexual couples who marry under the law.  Since same-sex unions are not recognized legally in most states and countries, gay couples that marry or live in similar situations as heterosexual couples do not receive any marriage benefits.  In 1996 the United States passed a legislative bill called the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which made it illegal to recognize same-sex marriage and defines a "spouse" as a person of the opposite sex.

The Case For:

Many gay couples throughout the world argue that marriage is about love, commitment and support and does not differ from the ideals of marriage between members of the opposite sex.  Thus, same-sex partners should receive the same benefits and recognition as heterosexual couples.  "A benefit to heterosexual society of gay marriage is the fact that the commitment of a marriage means the participants are discouraged from promiscuous sex. This has the advantage of slowing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, which know no sexual orientation and are equal opportunity destroyers," states Scott Bidstrup in his essay Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives.  And Rebecca Albert, a Reconstructionist rabbi believes that there is strong support in the the religious community for same-sex marriage and that clergy should be allowed under free exercise  laws to perform ceremonies for same-sex couples.

The Case Against:

Opponents to same-sex marriage state the fabric of marriage and culture is at stake.  The union between a man and a woman would be questioned and in-turn undo pre-existing moral fabric.  Bob Barr, United States Senator, states that "if same-sex marriage were allowed, millions of happily married men will look at the wife and say, 'I could have been married to a guy!'"  In addition, Dr. Paul Cameron claims in his article Same Sex Marriage: Til Death Do Us Part? that "A large body of scientific evidence suggests that homosexual marriage is a defective counterfeit of traditional marriage and that it poses a clear and present danger to the health of the community. Traditional marriage improves the health of its participants, has the lowest rate of domestic violence, prolongs life, and is the best context in which to raise children."

Recent News and Political Actions:

• 50 couples participate in wedding ceremonies at the 2nd Annual Pride Day Wedding Party in New York City. 
• United States Senator, Dick Gottfried announces a plan to introduce a bill to the United States Senate in the summer of 2002 to legalize same-sex marriage.
• Vermont is currently the only US state that recognizes same-sex marriage.
• 7 gay and lesbian couples are have entered into a law suit against the state of New Jersey to legalize their same-sex unions.
• Same-sex marriages are now legally recognized in the Netherlands.

For more information, additional articles and resources on same-sex marriage, please visit the Politics & Activism section of the Gay Life site.