Should people in a same-sex relationship or marriage be treated differently?

Answer 1

People in a same-sex relationship or marriage should not be treated differently. Everyone is created equal regardless of their orientations.

This issue on gay marriage was brought up in the U.S. during the 70's when two University of Minnesota students applied for a marriage license and were rejected. This was due to the fact that at the very beginning of the U.S. government was structure by Christian believing founders, in which they believed that the sole purpose of marriage was to be between a male and a female for procreation reasons. "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination." (Leviticus 18:22).

This quote from The Bible describes the very reason why there is such controversy about the issue of gay marriage. However the problem is that not many gay people are hardcore Christian believers, and they clearly don't view being gay as a sin, therefore in their eyes, there is nothing wrong about getting married.

As said in a Real Clear Politics article, "sustaining a liberal society demands a culture that welcomes robust debate, vigorous political advocacy, and a decent respect for differing opinions." (Freedom to Marry). America is called the land of the free, and yet how can we still have discrimination towards marriage just based off of past views. America is also known for the freedom of speech and freedom of thought, so why should one person's belief that gay marriage is wrong, negatively influence same sex couples, and not allow them to get married.

In the realm outside of the church, your life choices are your choices, and nobody should be allowed to tell you what to do with your life.

One of the benefits that a same-sex marriage is not granted is the Social Security survivor benefit that heterosexual marriages do have. In a Questions and Answers article, Mr. Spriggs says, "activists are now seeking Social Security survivor benefits for homosexual partners, since Congress originally intended them as a way of supporting a very traditional family structure" (Q & A).

These benefits are mostly for families with children and for those that would leave their family in a financial struggle if they were to pass away. However as Spriggs also says, "Survivor benefits for the legal children of homosexual parents are already available under current law, so "marriage" rights for homosexual couples are unnecessary to protect the interests of these children themselves" (Q & A). This goes to show that the issue of Social Security Survivor benefits is something that is only a problem, that should be changed, when the parents are in a same-sex marriage. Legally, gay couples should have the same standing and benefits that heterosexual couples have, therefore creating an equal standing based on the legal side.

Same-sex marriage should not only be legalized for equality purposes, but also for economic purposes. Referring to a Huffington Post article on gay marriage, "In the first year that gay marriage was legal in New York City, the city reaped $259 million, thanks to license fees and wedding-related spending" (8 Ways). Not only would the marriage itself create revenue for fees and licenses, but also provide money and jobs for wedding planners, cooks, and wedding venues. Also due to the fact that in "states where same-sex marriage isn't legal have different tax laws for same-sex versus opposite-sex couples", this would cause many legal and economical disputes and hassles, which would otherwise be easily avoided if same sex marriage was legalized (8 Ways).

Also stated in the article, "Marriage makes people more financially stable and less likely to qualify for government assistance", which means that the government would be able to use the money that was saved from the lack of use from government assistance in more necessary areas (8 Ways).