Positive Effects Of Gay Marriages To The Society Essay

Introduction

Same –sex marriage, which is also sometimes called gay marriage, is one of the most controversial social issues within the last decades in many countries all over the world. There are a lot of opponents of this procedure, who have numerous arguments, underlining the negative impact of legalization of this practice for the societies. At the same time there are a lot of those, who support legalization of same-sex marriage on the basis of its potential positive influences for society, for economy of the country. The history of same-sex marriages is rather long; it included various events and interpretations in the frames of various cultures and countries. It is important to note here that same-sex unions were recorded in many cultures, whereas officially registered marriages were rare.

The recognition of same-sex marriage could not be seen as purely social issue; in fact it is related to politics, to religion, to culture of the country. This is the reason, why the debates about its legalization are rather tough all over the world. One of the most serious issues, which are discussed, is whether gay marriages should be allowed to have the same status as usual marriage or remain in the classification of civil unions. Not all opponents of gay marriages are aware of the fact that legalization of same-sex marriages is not simply an issue of giving this right to people or not allowing them to do it officially. People, who live in same-sex marriages, are the equal tax-payers in the same way, like the rest citizens of the country. The legalization of this type of marriage would bring them not only their duties, but would also widen their rights – for example guarantee the legal protection of their right for inheritance or hospital visitation rights. Religious issues, as a part of culture of any nation, should also be considered, as at the moment there are a lot of controversies in this relation as well. Opponents of gay marriages are sure that legalization of them is a risky step because it might lead to eroding of religious freedoms. Others are concerned about the rights of children, either of those, who were raised by their biological parents or of those, who were adopted by gay couples. “Some analysts state that financial, psychological and physical well-being are enhanced by marriage, and that children of same-sex parents or carers benefit from being raised by two parents within a legally recognized union supported by society’s institutions.” (Liptak, 2015, p. 3).

Discussing the debate about legalization of same-sex marriage, it is important to differentiate between the acceptance of the moral aspects of same-sex relations and legalization of marriage for such couples. There are a lot of situations, when people generally do not oppose gay relations, they are sure that love and relations belong to the personal sphere of life of each single individual. At the same time these people are not ready to accept the official legalization of same-sex marriages and relate them to the institute to marriage. In reality love and intimate relations could not be controlled by any government or social institutions. Thus it is more correct in this situation to discuss exactly marriage as a social institution. Marriage as social institution was not created and supported purely with the aim to reveal love between two individuals, not to interfere into their commitment to be together, live together and so on. “While it begins with a willing commitment of two persons to each other, marriage renders that commitment something objective and binding upon the persons, even should the commitment become an unwilling one.” (Liptak, 2015, p. 4).

The date June 26th 2015 become one of the most important dates in the history of same-sex marriages, as the Supreme Court voted to the guarantee, which could be found in the Constitution, of the right to same-sex marriage. ““No longer may this liberty be denied,” Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote for the majority in the historic decision. “No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.” (Wolfson, 2004, p. 10). This allows seeing the marriage as the source of social order and equal dignity of all citizens of the country. America is the country, which had a long and sophisticated history of struggle for freedom and nation’s identity and democracy. Thus the first steps, made towards legal recognition of the same-sex marriage as an institute, should contribute to strengthening of the national identity and further development of international reputation. The controversy of this problem is signified by the fact that in reality same-sex marriages are able to have a strong impact upon social, economic, legislative and other aspects of life for any society in any country; thus on the basis of consideration of all possible positive impacts of same-sex marriage, it could be proved that gay marriages could bring more positive impacts upon the society as a whole.

  1. Gay marriage legalization shows the public that the government respects the human rights.

It was already mentioned that debates, related to the problem of legalization of gay marriages, are rather profound and many-sided, thus it could not be treated purely from social or juridical points of view. It is necessary to consider all the aspects, rooting from various life spheres in order to create a clearer picture of the problem. First of all the general truth is that in all countries, in all societies, in all religions people get married. This is one of the oldest traditions, which was used by all people in the world to organize their private lives. Thus there is a serious question, whether there should be defined a group of people, who should not be allowed to get married on the basis of their homosexual relations? Will this restriction bring positive results to the society in general or become breaking of the human rights of a concrete group of people? Most probably the answer is – yes, it actually violates the rights of citizens, which were granted by the Constitution to them. Considering the situation in modern developed or even developing societies, it is necessary to underline that the institute of marriage is under the control of the government of the country. At the same time, the main task of the government in this case is not to identify the persons, who should marry or not marry each other, rather become the guaranty of the fulfillment of all the key political and civic rights to all citizens equally. Marriage this is not purely the uniting of two persons under the same roof for close relations, the meanings of marriage are versatile and plural. Marriage could not be limited to such things as sexual relations, love, raising children, any kind of mutual responsibilities as so on. Marriage is granted by the state without consideration of an individual’s health, in other words whether he or she is able physically to have children or not, whether he or she has the intention to love the person, who is becoming husband or wife and so on. Marriages might exist without all these things and aspects and still be legal.

Marriage has the meaning, which consists of various aspects. First of all this is the aspect of civil rights. People, who get married, get another treatment in tax sphere, inheritance rights and insurance status, rights for adoption or custody, visitation and burial rights, testimony in court and so on. The second aspect is the expressive aspect, as when people are getting married, this means that they are ready to acknowledge their love and commitment in front of other witnesses. A lot of pairs treat this aspect as one of the most important ones for their further relations. Some individuals associate marriage with their religious beliefs. This is the task of the government to secure that all these aspects are fulfilled and granted to all individuals. This means, that same-sex marriages could not be considered an exception. In fact unfortunately the statistics proves that there are thousands of people in various countries, who suffer physically and morally from the fact that they are gays or are considered to be gays. Violation of human rights on the basis of individual’s sexual orientation or identity should be seen equal to racial discrimination or sex discrimination.

  1. Gay marriage legalized brings positive economic effects to the U.S.

Most of the individuals, who try to analyze the situation with same-sex marriages, make a huge mistake, when they don’t consider the economic issues, which are related to the recognition and legalization of gay marriages. As it was already mentioned, the government doesn’t bear the responsibility for the relations of the two individuals, going to get married or being married, rather regulates all the economic and financial issues of the couple. There was a calculation done, which showed that even same-sex couples that didn’t get married officially, lost around $500.000 during their lifetime only due to the fact that their marriage was not officially registered by the state. Lack of spousal insurance is another serious factor. These are the examples of the economic losses of gay couples; still there are also economic disadvantages for the state. There is a question, whether recognition of same-sex marriages by the state could influence federal budgets. Actually, yes, it could. One of the simple examples is the case with Edie Windsor, who “sued the U.S. government because she had to pay $363,000 in federal estate taxes when her wife died, all because their marriage didn’t count under federal law. Recognizing her marriage would have meant less money for the government in federal estate tax revenue.” (Lipp, 2013, p. 2). Further researches of the issue proved that allowing gay couples to get married officially, the state would be able not only to avoid losses but also to have economic advantages. The state spending would be fully covered by savings from lower cash assistance and medical insurance. The tax revenue would most likely rise, as there at any rate would be the percentage of the gay couples, which would discover that their marriages are not happy. Another way of increasing the tax revenues would be related to the financing of weddings, as in reality the money, spent for flowers, cakes, hotels, tourism, clothing, meals and so on would make a huge sum. A lot of huge corporations and famous companies confirm that they also want the state to make same-sex marriages legal, as this would provide the possibility to employ a lot of talented workers with original approach to work and creative way of thinking. “Hundreds of employers large and small, including Google, Apple, Verizon, Walt Disney, Viacom, Nike, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft, signed onto two friend-of-the-court briefs related to this week’s Supreme Court arguments over challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8.” (Badgett, 2013 p. 3). It is evident that creative workers would bring new ideas and fresh approaches to the work, which was previously done monotonously, this in its turn, would lead to increase of productivity and further economic development of the company and of the state correspondingly.

  1. The rights of children, who are adopted by gay parents.

Even taking into consideration that there is a huge number of married couples, who are not going to have either biological or adopted children, still it is necessary to acknowledge that most of couples, who decide to get married, earlier or later want to have a kid or several. Same-sex families are not an exception, thus discussing the problem of legalization of gay marriages is not possible without consideration of the rights of the children, who could be adopted by gay parents. The strongest argument, which is used by the opponents of this idea, is the statement that all children, who are raised in gay families, are psychologically damaged. Still numerous researches and investigations prove that this is nothing more, than a prejudice. “In fact, research shows that children with gay parents are just as likely to be well-adjusted as children with straight parents, and that the key to childhood adjustment is good relationships between parents and children and between the parents themselves.” (Wolfson, 2004, p. 12). There is never the guarantee that any marriage would be successful and children will not suffer, irrespective of the fact whether their parents are gays or not. At the same time if the parents of the child are not allowed to get married, then it is possible to talk about depriving them of their equal rights to have married parents, as the rest of kids.

  1. Conclusion

The problems of legalization of same-sex marriages is rather profound and versatile; there is absolutely no way to treat it on the surface, on the basis of some prejudice or personal attitude towards people, who are not the same, like the bigger part of the society. In order to support social order, to guarantee well-balanced relations between all members of the society, there is a need to guarantee the equal rights to all citizens in the first line.

 

References:

Babst, G.A.,  Gill, E. R.,  Pierceson, J. (2009). Moral Argument, Religion, and Same-Sex Marriage: Advancing the Public Good, Lanham, MD: Lexington Books

Badgett, L. (2013). The Economic Benefits of Gay Marriage

Gozemba, P.A. (2007). History of America’s First Legal Same-Sex Marriages, Ypsilanti, MI: Beacon Press

Hertz, F.,  Doskow, E. (2011). Making it Legal: A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnerships & Civil Unions, Berkeley, CA: NOLO

Jacobs, A. (2004). Black Legislators Stall Marriage Amendment in Georgia, The New York Times.

Liptak, D. (2015). Supreme Court Ruling Makes Same-Sex Marriage a Right Nationwide

Lipp, M. (2013). 7 Ways the U.S.A. Benefits From the Legalization of Gay Marriage

Wolfson, E. (2004). Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People’s Right to Marry. New York: Simon & Schuster

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
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[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]
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