Boaz 1

Elizabeth Boaz
Ms. Gardner
English 10 period 0
10 May 2015
The 20%
"In the District of Columbia, where I work, I am married. In D.C., my other half,
Michael, is my husband. In North Virginia, where I live, I am legally unmarried. Michael is,
legally speaking, a stranger to me," Jonathan Rauch, a gay man and a passionate gay-rights
activist, admits in his article "5 Myths About Gay Marriage". One doesn't think about it, but
marriage is a privilege not everyone gets to have. In merely 37 states (and the District of
Columbia) same-sex marriage is allowed, while the remaining 13 have banned the joining of two
people of the same gender. ("Freedom To Marry"). By outlawing gay marriage, society is
refusing almost 20% of our population to experience one of the most precious relationships life
has to offer. Many argue that it's not their job to advocate for same-sex marriage if they are
heterosexual; however, this is where those many are wrong. Allowing gay marriage would not
only affect gay couples, but would also affect our entire population. Although some may argue
that marriage is only meant for a man and a woman, legalizing same-sex marriage would boost
our economy financially, support the children and the parents of same-sex families, and grant
20% of our population the rights that the rest of us have- and the rights that they deserve.
Initially, one may claim that same-sex marriage should not be legalized because God
indicated that marriage was meant to stay between a man and a woman. As Elizabeth Tenety, a
former Washington Post editor, bluntly states in her article "Religious Leaders See 'Tragedy' and

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Justice In Supreme Court", "Same-sex unions are contrary to God's will, and gay marriage is, in
the eyes of God, no marriage at all". An anonymous author continues in their article "10 Reasons
Why Homosexual 'Marriage' Is Harmful and Must Be Opposed", "whenever one violates the
natural moral code established by God, one sins and offends God." To summarize, many believe
that same-sex marriage is against God's will; futhermore, even just by encouraging or supporting
gay marriage, one is sinning. And yes, indeed, in biblical references Jesus Christ did depict the
first couple on Earth as a man and a woman- Adam and Eve; however, in Ruth 1: 16-17 of the
Bible, there is a lesbian couple who marry for love, and support each other for the rest of their
lives. ("Six Biblical Reasons Why Christians Should Embrace Same-Sex Marriage").
Furthermore, God did depict the first couple as opposite-sex partners; however, as shown in the
Bible, there has been same-sex partners from the beginning of time, and God merely created
marriage so two people in love could join in holy matrimony.
Legalizing same-sex marriage would not only affect the gay 20% of our population, but
the entire 100%. One way that legalizing same-sex marriage would help our economy is
financially. According to Sreekar Jasthi, a famous author on "NerdWallet", studies have shown
that 54% of same-sex couples would marry if they could. The average wedding cost in the
United States is $25,200. Now, imagine that same-sex marriage has just been legalized and 20%
of our population has rushed to the church. That means that 20% of our population is
contributing $25,200 back to the economy- totaling to around $2,000,000,000 across the United
States. Not only would the weddings of gay couples contribute financially to our economy, but
legalizing gay marriage would also "boost federal revenue through income and estate taxes...
Legalization would slightly increase federal tax revenue, estimated to be about 0.1% of total

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federal revenue..." ("The Economic Impact Of Gay Marriage: A $2.5 Billion Question"). In
summation, if allowing same-sex marriage would only boost our economy and strengthen our
nation, why should society continue to prohibit it?
Furthermore, legalizing gay marriage would support children and families with same-sex
parents and improve children's societal actions and attitudes. To illustrate, children with
opposite-sex parents are provided with legal security, social acknowledgement and health
benefits as well. As of right now, children with same-sex parents who are not able to marry are
not granted those basic life privileges that we take for granted. ("Children of Gay Parents"). As
popular journalist, Warren Richey, complains in his article "Same-Sex Couples Challenge Florida
Ban On Gay Marriage", "These laws brand same-sex couples and their children as second-class
citizens through government-imposed stigma and foster bias and discrimination." In her article
"Marriage Rights", Maggie Gallagher, a powerful writer and founder of the National
Organization for Marriage, claims Yes, all of us are created equal. All children are created
equal. Every baby is equally entitled to life. And every baby is equally entitled to the love and
care of the man and woman who made him or her. These societal anti-gay laws affect not only
gay and lesbian people, but their children and families- they mark them as inferior and give them
a distinct label. If children really are the leaders of our future, then our people need to begin to
teach them basic rights. By allowing same-sex marriage, children would be taught acceptance,
they would learn the importance of equality, they would build an appreciation for human rights,
they would develop a compassionate perspective on our world.
Ultimately, same-sex marriage should be legalized to grant that 20% the rights and
privileges that the rest of the world is allowed. There is no reason that a gay man should not be

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allowed the same rights as a heterosexual man. As Theodore B and David Boies, two young
lawyers, point out in their article "The Marriage Debate: Gays Deserve Equal Rights", "In many
ways, our client' relationships are indistinguishable from our own: They have lives and homes
together, they are raising children, they have jobs, they pay bills, they run errands." On a basic
human level, that is true in every way possible. Studies have shown that couples who are married
are happier, less likely to fall into depression, and generally in better health and well-being.
("The Economic Benefits of Gay Marriage"). Every individual deserves the privilege to have a
family built on a safe and secure foundation, every individual deserves the legal benefits of
marriage- the social security, the health care, etc.- and every individual deserves to be able to
have their Facebook status read "Happily Married".
In conclusion, same-sex marriage should be legalized because it would help our economy
financially, support children and families with gay parents, and give 20% of our population the
privileges they deserve. Allowing same-sex marriage would affect the entire world- not just
same-sex couples. The legalization of gay-marriage would be one small but vital step to
changing the rule of our society and allowing people to accept something new and something
different. "This is not just about gay civil rights- this is a fight about the meaning of marriage" (5
Myths About Gay Marriage).

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Works Cited

Ashford, Anthony. "Six Biblical Reasons Why Christians Should Embrace Same-sex

Relationships. Better Believe It... The Bible Shows Us SIX Reasons!" Embakasi

Reloaded. Embakasi Reloaded, 10 Aug. 2014. Web. 10 May 2015

Badgett, M.V. Lee. "The Economic Benefits of Gay Marriage." PBS. PBS, 2015. Web. 10

Blue, Fabaian. "Children of Gay Parents." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com

May 2015.

Inc., 2015. Web. 2015.

Gallagher, Maggie. "Marriage Rights." Los Angeles Times. 27 Jun. 2013: A.19. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.

Jasthi, Sreekar. "The Economic Impact of Gay Marriage: A $2.5 Billion Question."

NerdWallet Credit Card Blog. NerdWallet, 12 Nov. 2014. Web. 10 May 2015.

Olson, Theodore B., and David Boies. "The Marriage Debate: Gays Deserve Equal
Rights." Wall Street Journal. 26 Mar. 2013: A.11. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web.
10 Apr. 2015.
Rauch, Jonathan. "5 Myths About Gay Marriage." Washington Post. 13 May 2012: B.2.
SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
Richey, Warren. "Same-Sex Couples Challenge Florida Ban on Gay Marriage." Christian
Science Monitor. 21 Jan. 2014: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
Tenety, Elizabeth. "Religious Leaders See 'Tragedy' and Justice in Supreme Court Gay..."
Washington Post. 26 Jun. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.

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TFP Student Action. "10 Reasons Why Homosexual." TFP Student Action. TFP Student

Action, 2015. Web. 10 May 2015.

"Freedom to Marry." States | Freedom to Marry. Freedom To Marry, 2015. Web.

10 May 2015.