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Homosexuality Liberty Law Politics Topic Index

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Should gay and straight couples have the same legal benefits?

Marriage comes with many legal benefits. In the United States, there are over 1,100 rights associated with married heterosexual couples, many of which are not available to homosexual couples. Gay advocates say that laws must not discriminate on sexual orientation.

Implications to Other Questions

	Does homosexuality have a significant genetic component?
	Should the federal government ban gay marriage?
	Should homosexual couples be able to adopt kids?
	Does homosexuality threaten the stability of society?
	Is homosexuality natural?

Experts and Influencers

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Agree

Experts In Politics

Barack Obama United States President

Agree

When it comes to federal rights, the over 1,100 rights that right now are not being given to same sex couples, I think that's unacceptable, and as president of the United States, I am going to fight hard to make sure that those rights are available.

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09 Aug 2007 Source

Sub-Arguments Of This Expert:
Should the federal government ban gay marriage?
Disagree
Should homosexual couples be able to adopt kids?
Agree

The Economist Politics and Business Magazine

Agree

The case for allowing gays to marry begins with equality, pure and simple. Why should one set of loving, consenting adults be denied a right that other such adults have and which, if exercised, will do no damage to anyone else? Not just because they have always lacked that right in the past, for sure: until the late 1960s, in some American states it was illegal for black adults to marry white ones, but precious few would defend that ban now on grounds that it was “traditional”.

The History Repeats Pitch

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26 Feb 2004 Source

Sub-Arguments Of This Expert:
Does homosexuality threaten the stability of society?
Disagree

Kevin Rudd Australian Prime Minister, 2007-2010

Mostly Agree

...marriage is between a man and a woman. And I made that commitment before the last election. We will honour that commitment. We support the removal of discrimination from same sex couples and from de-facto heterosexual couples when it comes to basic, basic arrangements in terms of tax, superannuation and the rest, and also a nationally consistent relationships register. But [...] civil unions mean the effective amendment of the marriage act, and that is something we don’t support.

The Long Standing Pitch

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02 May 2008 Source

Sub-Arguments Of This Expert:
Should the federal government ban gay marriage?
Agree

Experts In Justice

Connecticut Supreme Court Judicial Body

Agree

The dissimilitude between the terms ‘civil marriage’ and ‘civil union’ is not innocuous; it is a considered choice of language that reflects a demonstrable assigning of same-sex, largely homosexual, couples to second-class status’.

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11 Oct 2008 Source

Disagree

Experts In Politics

Sarah Palin Former Governor of Alaska (Republican)

Disagree

Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday that she will comply with an Alaska Supreme Court order issued Tuesday to offer health and retiree benefits to same-sex partners of state employees starting Jan. 1. "We believe that we have no more judicial options to pursue. So we may disagree with kind of the foundation there, the rationale behind the ruling, but our responsibility is to proceed forward with the law and abide by the constitution"

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21 Dec 2006 Source

Sub-Arguments Of This Expert:
Does homosexuality have a significant genetic component?
Neutral

John McCain U.S. Senator, Republican

Disagree

I think that gay marriage should be allowed if there's a ceremony kind of thing if you want to call it that. I don't have a problem with that. ...[but] I don't believe that gay marriage should be legal.

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11 Feb 2007 Source

Sub-Arguments Of This Expert:
Should the federal government ban gay marriage?
Disagree

Ali Khamenei Supreme Leader of Iran

Disagree

[In the west] moral values do not pose any limitation for freedom. For instance, the homosexual movement in the U.S. is one of their popular movements. They are even proud of it and hold rallies in the streets and publish their photographs in magazines. ... No one is ashamed of it and no one denies it. Rather, some people who are opposed to homosexuality are severely attacked by some of these newspapers and periodicals and condemned as opponents of homosexuality.

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03 Sep 1998 Source

Experts In Christianity

The Catholic Church Largest Christian Church

Disagree

[Homosexual acts] are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

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11 Oct 1992 Source

Sub-Arguments Of This Expert:
Should homosexual couples be able to adopt kids?
   Disagree
Does homosexuality threaten the stability of society?
   Agree
Is homosexuality natural?
   Disagree

Old Testament Bible for Jews and Christians

Disagree

If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

The Demonizing Pitch

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Before 100 A.D. Source

Suggested Expert Quotes

Meghan McCain

Gays and lesbians are a vital part of our communities. They are doctors, teachers, firefighters, emergency personnel and neighbors. In this way, marriage equality is also about supporting good citizens and strengthening our communities.

Source

Comments

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0 Points the27th 09 May 2010 Stance on Question: Agree

This is more obviously true than practically anything else I know.

0 Points Packbat 28 Mar 2010 Stance on Question: Agree

I see no compelling reason to distinguish between modern same-sex marriages and modern different-sex marriages on legal grounds.

0 Points Benja 13 Sep 2008 Editorial Comment

There's a semantic argument where people are against homosexual rights actually answer 'agree' to this question. It goes like this:

"both gay and straight couples should have the same benefits... a man is free to marry a woman, regardless of whether that man is gay or straight, and a man cannot marry another man, regardless of whether they are gay or straight. therefore gay men are treated equally to straight men."

One way to show the argument is flawed, is that it would also apply in a hypothetical inverted world where homosexual marriage was legal and heterosexual marriage was illegal. It would be disingenuous for opponents of gay marriage to claim that they would accept this reasoning when used against them. Clearly in such a world they would be demanding that heterosexual couples had the same rights as homosexual couples. Therefore this semantic argument is fruitless.

0 Points Cat 03 Mar 2009 Stance on Question: Agree

I have not heard that argument, but it is silly. People should be able to marry whomever they want. I believe in reincarnation and we don't have a "sex" designation in spirit form, and can come back as either men or women, so it makes no difference.