Gay Marriage

God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve. This is a statement that I read on a T-shirt one day. While pondering this thought, I came to the realization that gay marriage is not about God. If marriage were a religious practice that was accepted only in the church, then I would have to agree that homosexuals should not have this right. Marriage is not something that has to be done in a church, or even accepted by the church to be legally recognized. With the question of marriage not being a religious concept, I have been convinced that gay marriage should be legal throughout the United States.

Since homosexual couples are not allowed to marry, they are denied many insurance rights. Gay couples should not be denied these rights merely because of their sexual orientation. John Leo, a columnist, says that straights should not be entitled to health-plan coverage for their husbands or wives if homosexual couples are denied these rights. I completely agree with this statement. Being a homosexual does not make people any less likely to get sick, so therefore they should be able to share insurance with their mate. This is only going to be possible if homosexuals can marry. This coverage would be more difficult to establish through domestic partnerships. Incidentally there would be many ways to get this coverage without being a committed partner to another person. Allowing homosexuals to marry would prevent false couples from sharing insurance benefits with each other.

I believe that equal insurance benefits for all leads to the issue of identical marriage rights for consenting adults. Homosexuals have been told that they destroy the sanctity of marriage, but I believe there is no holiness to marriage anymore. Jonathan Rauch, a columnist, states that, "half of today's marriages end in divorce." This high divorce rate has caused the sacredness of marriage to be ruined. Because of this, marriage has already been taken to an inescapable low level. This low level is caused by heterosexual couples think that marriage is something that can be taken lightly. Marriage will never be the sacred bond that we knew from the past. Therefore, allowing gays to marry will not destroy marriage as we know it today. It will only allow more people to marry.

Marriage is a religious concept, and homosexuals are not accepted in most religions. However I feel that this is a free country with the separation of church and state in place. As a result states do recognize marriages, and therefore marriage is not just a religious practice anymore. It is a practice recognized by the government, and consequently no consenting adults should be denied the right to marry.

Also legalizing gay marriage would help to curb promiscuity among homosexuals. Andrew Sullivan, a former editor of the New Republic, says that, "institutionalizing gay marriage would merely reinforce a healthy social trend." If homosexuals have the option to marry, they will most likely take advantage of it. Marrying allows gays to have their relationships acknowledged publicly. With their relationships