Gay marriage has become one of the most debated issues in the United States. It has become a strong subject that even presidential candidates include it in their speeches and have indicated whether they are for or against it. If you’re in a same-sex relationship and are thinking of getting married, or if you just want to know more about this topic, you need to learn about the pros and cons of gay marriage.
List of Pros of Gay Marriage
1. It helps LGBT people enjoy certain government benefits.
When LGBT couples get married, they automatically have access to the rights and benefits that heterosexual couples enjoy, such as insurance coverage and tax breaks. They can also adopt children, assign power of attorney to their spouse, and receive assistance and protection as married people under the law.
2. It protects the children of LGBT couples.
Children of unmarried couples often have less protection than those who have married parents. They can suffer from emotional trauma especially when feel that their parents aren’t fully committed to each other and can separate at any time.
When unmarried LGBT parents do separate, they can have a hard time figuring out child custody, child support, and other important child-related matters since the law can be unclear on these things. Married LGBT couples, on the other hand, can apply for custody and visitation rights in court, just like heterosexual couples.
3. It keeps social stigma and emotional trauma at bay.
When LGBT couples are allowed to get married, it minimizes discrimination since it shows that they have the right to do what any other heterosexual couples can and emphasizes the fact that they must be given the same level of respect. It also allows them to celebrate their love and commitment and live their lives openly.
List of Cons of Gay Marriage
1. It paves the way to legal complications.
Unmarried LGBT couples can break up with relatively less hassle. Since they own their individual properties, they can go about their separate ways whenever they want. This isn’t really the case for married same-sex couples. Since they are united in the eyes of the law, they need to go through numerous processes to formally end their marriage. This can mean many court hearings on alimony, child custody (if they have kids), division of their property (those that are considered to be conjugal), and other important topics.
2. It can raise taxes.
Opponents of gay marriage point out that it can raise everyone’s income taxes and Social Security contributions. This comes from the fact that the government has to raise enough funds to cover the tax breaks and other benefits that married LGBT couples enjoy and to provide for LGBT widows/widowers.
3. It can lead to controversies.
Many people nowadays still believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman. By enforcing gay marriage, these people believe that their religious beliefs are being stepped upon and that the sanctity of marriage is being destroyed.
Gay marriage is paving its way in the U.S. and other countries. It’s up to people — whether they belong to the LGBT community or not — to know the pros and cons of this topic and decide if they agree or disagree with it.
Crystal Lombardo is a contributing editor for Vision Launch. Crystal is a seasoned writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience. She has been an editor of three popular blogs that each have had over 500,000 monthly readers.
