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Chief Elf
Apr Member 2017

Chief Elf

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Gay Marriage


Same-sex marriage is defined as a union between two people who are of the same gender or biological sex. Whether or not to recognize such marriages remains a source of debate as far as civil rights, political and social issues go. Proponents argue that equal rights must mean equal rights. A civilized society does not discriminate on grounds of race, religion, sex or sexuality and denial of marriage rights is clear discrimination. Gay and heterosexual couples both deserve the legal rights associated with marriage – on taxes, property ownership, inheritance or adoption. No matter how you try to dress it up, denying equal rights to gays and lesbians is homophobia.

Straight couples get married for love, but they also do it to claim access to (in the U.S.A.) the more than 1,000 legal protections and benefits that come with marriage licenses to safeguard their families and protect themselves. Here are just a few of the thousands of rights and protections that were denied to LGBTQ citizens in the USA prior to June 26 2015 and continue to be denied to LGBTQ people all over the word today:

1. Right to marry / right to divorce

2. Hospital visitations

3. Child custody rights

4. Adoption rights

5. Parenting rights

6. Automatic inheritance

7. Divorce protections

8. Employment equality

9. Immigration law

10. Medicaid

11. Retirement plans

12. Right to a fair trial

13. Social security benefits

14. Survivor benefits

15. Freedom of gender expression

16. Spousal and child support

17. Federal taxes / joint taxes

18. Legal protection from gender-identity-based discrimination

19. Exemption from property tax upon death of a spouse

20. Immunity from being forced to testify against one’s spouse

21. Legal protection from discrimination based on sexuality

22. Health insurance continuation of health coverage

23. Medical decision-making power on behalf of a spouse

[ ..to be continued.. ]
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20-May-2017 05:56:24 - Last edited on 01-Jun-2017 03:43:55 by Chief Elf

Chief Elf
Apr Member 2017

Chief Elf

Posts: 5,115 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
[ ..continued.. ]


24. Medical decision-making power on behalf of a spouse

25. Legal protection from housing discrimination

26. Right to free expression and free association

27. The right to serve openly in the military

28. Right to medial coverage and safe access to care

29. Standing to sue for wrongful death of a spouse

30. Access to equal education

31. Access to family insurance policies

32. Domestic violence protections

33. Right to form a family

Pros & Cons of Same-Sex Marriage


Proponents of legal gay marriage contend that gay marriage bans are discriminatory and unconstitutional, and that same-sex couples should have access to all the benefits enjoyed by different-sex couples.

Opponents contend that marriage has traditionally been defined as being between one man and one woman, and that marriage is primarily for procreation.

Here are the top Pros & Cons of Same-Sex Marriage:

1:
-
PRO
: Denying some people the option to marry is discriminatory and creates a second class of citizens.

-
CON
: The institution of marriage has traditionally been defined as being between a man and a woman.

2:
-
PRO
: Same-sex couples should have access to the same benefits enjoyed by heterosexual married couples.

-
CON
: Marriage is for procreation and should not be extended to same-sex couples because they cannot produce children together.

3:
-
PRO
: The concept of "traditional marriage" has changed over time, and the definition of marriage as always being between one man and one woman is historically inaccurate.

-
CON
: Children need both a mother and a father.

[ ..to be continued.. ]
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20-May-2017 05:56:49 - Last edited on 01-Jun-2017 03:53:10 by Chief Elf

Chief Elf
Apr Member 2017

Chief Elf

Posts: 5,115 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
[ ..continued.. ]


4:
-
PRO
: Gay marriage is protected by the US Constitution's commitments to liberty and equality.

-
CON
: Legalizing gay marriage could lead down a "slippery slope," giving people in polygamous, incestuous, bestial, and other nontraditional relationships the right to marry.

5:
-
PRO
: Marriage is an internationally recognized human right for all people.

-
CON
: Allowing gay couples to wed could further weaken the institution of marriage.

6:
-
PRO
: Same-sex marriage is a civil right.

-
CON
: Homosexuality is immoral and unnatural.

7:
-
PRO
: Marriage is not only for procreation, otherwise infertile couples or couples not wishing to have children would be prevented from marrying.

-
CON
: Gay marriage is contrary to the word of God and is incompatible with the beliefs, sacred texts, and traditions of many religious groups.

8:
-
PRO
: Gay marriages can bring financial gain to federal, state, and local governments and can help boost the economy.

-
CON
: Legalizing gay marriage often leads to an end to domestic partnership benefits for gay and straight couples, which disadvantages couples who choose not to get married.

9:
-
PRO
: Gay couples make good parents.

-
CON
: Gay marriage will accelerate the assimilation of gays into mainstream heterosexual culture to the detriment of the homosexual community.

10:
-
PRO
: Gay marriage bans cause humiliation and uncertainty for children being raised by same-sex couples.

-
CON
: Marriage is an outmoded, oppressive institution that should be weakened, not expanded.

[ ..to be continued .. ]
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20-May-2017 05:56:58 - Last edited on 01-Jun-2017 03:58:24 by Chief Elf

Chief Elf
Apr Member 2017

Chief Elf

Posts: 5,115 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
[ ..continued.. ]


11:
-
PRO
: Marriage provides both physical and psychological health benefits, and banning gay marriage increases rates of psychological disorders.

-
CON
: People should not have their tax dollars used to support something they believe is wrong.

12:
-
PRO
: Legalizing gay marriage will not harm the institution of marriage, and same-sex marriages may even be more stable than heterosexual marriages.

-
CON
: Marriage is a privilege, not a right.

13:
-
PRO
: Gay marriage legalization is correlated with lower divorce rates, while gay marriage bans are correlated with higher divorce rates.

-
CON
: Legalizing gay marriage advances the "homosexual agenda" and unfairly paints opponents as bigots.

14:
-
PRO
: Legal marriage is a secular institution that should not be limited by religious objections to same-sex marriage.

-
CON
: Civil unions and domestic partnerships can provide the protections and benefits gay couples need without changing the definition of marriage…

15:
-
PRO
: Many religious leaders and churches support gay marriage and say it is consistent with scripture.

16:
-
PRO
: SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE.

One of the major reasons that gay marriage is currently illegal is due to the religious interpretation that " homosexual are sinners." Such a religious perspective should have no place in federal, legal matters in the non-theocratic governments. We live a secular society that maintains secular views. The Ten Commandments do not define our legal system, so why does the religious argument "marriage is the union between a man and a women" keep so many gay couples from becoming legally married?
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20-May-2017 05:57:05 - Last edited on 01-Jun-2017 04:03:49 by Chief Elf

Chief Elf
Apr Member 2017

Chief Elf

Posts: 5,115 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Same-Sex Adoption Facts


A social shift is occurring. The incidences of gay adoption and gay parenting are growing exponentially. Find out the positive facts about gay & lesbian adoption and parenting.

• Approximately 2 million LGBT people are interested in adopting.

• An estimated 65k adopted children are living with same sex / gay parents.

• Gay and Lesbian adoptive parents represent 1 in 6 single parents raising children.

• There are 5 states that represent the top percentages of gay and lesbian parents: D.C. 28.6%, Massachusetts 16.4%, California 9.8%, New Mexico 9%, Alaska 8.6%.

• The highest number of adopted children living with same sex / gay parents is in the United States is California, and is estimated at more than 16k.

• Gay and lesbian parents are raising 4% of all adopted children in the United States.

• Gays and Lesbians adopt at a slightly higher rate than married heterosexual couples. The racial/ethnic breakdown of children adopting by same-sex couples is 53% White, 14% African-American, 18% Hispanic/Latino, and 11% Asian/Pacific Islander.

• Research suggests that gender-identity and sexual orientation develop in the same ways among same sex parents as they do among children of heterosexual parents.

• Growing up in a gay household cannot make a child gay. Most gays and lesbians grew up in straight / heterosexual households.

• There is no evidence that supports that gay and lesbians are unfit to be parents. Gays and lesbians are just as likely to support a child’s development, as are heterosexual parents.

• On Average, same-sex couples raising adopted children are older, more formally educated, and have more economic resources than other adoptive parents. The average income for same sex couples raising adopted children is 102k versus 82k for opposite sex married couples


[ ..to be continued.. ]
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20-May-2017 05:58:01 - Last edited on 01-Jun-2017 04:09:49 by Chief Elf

Chief Elf
Apr Member 2017

Chief Elf

Posts: 5,115 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
[ ..to be continued .. ]


• Estimated 14k foster children are living with lesbian or gay parents, representing 3% of foster children in the United States.

• Children are more influenced by their parents’ relationship with each other than with sexual orientation of their parents.

• Good parenting is not influenced by sexual orientation. Good parenting is influenced by the parent’s ability to create a loving and nurturing home.

• On average gay parents tend to be more motivated and committed parents than heterosexual parents because they chose to be parents. Gays and Lesbians rarely become parents by accident, compared to almost 50% accidental pregnancy rate among heterosexuals.

• One consistent place that you will find differences between kids raised by same sex couples versus opposite sex couples is in the issue of tolerance and open mindedness. Studies have shown that children raised by gay parents felt more open minded and empathetic than people not raised in their situation.

• Children of gay parents also report that typical gender roles are not as much as an obstacle for them. This is likely a result of gays and lesbians having more egalitarian relationships and gender stereotypes.

Please check out these statistics on Adoption:



Or go to this site for an enlarged picture of the image: http://brandongaille.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Adoption-Statistics-in-the-United-States.jpeg
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20-May-2017 05:58:12 - Last edited on 01-Jun-2017 04:15:11 by Chief Elf

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