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Gay marriage is a huge controversial issue sweeping America. I for one am supportive of gay marriage and have yet to hear a good solid reason why homosexual couple should not have the same rights to marry as a heterosexual couple. Many reasons are religious. "The bible says homosexuality is a sin" is by far the most common reason. I think that whether or not that is the case, it is not a good reason why these people should not have the same rights. Marriage is not a religious union any more it is a legal contract between two consenting parties. Ceremonies are not required but often preformed.
Even if marriage were completely a religious union with just legal benefits then why are many things legal that the bible and religious leaders against legal and backed by most churches? I really hate the "marriage should stay traditional" argument because I disagree with tradition marriage. Marriages traditionally were not about love, they were about what was best for the family or country. Marriage for love is a very new belief and certainly not traditional. In countries that aren't as progressive as America people are baffled by the idea that marriage is for love and not for material gain.
Reproduction is also part of traditional marriage that is a little outdated. Since we have accurate birth control methods people in a marriage choose to procreate or not. In fact many people choose not to have children and there are some people who can't. If marriage is for a man and a women because traditionally marriage was for reproduction it's a little out dated because of out society.
Women in the house hold is also something we have long since thrown out in America and yet if we want to keep marriage traditional why is this? Women in almost every culture that instituted marriage kept women in the house to take care of the children and household duties. The entire idea of this forces gender roles and shows one the biggest reason why traditional marriage isn't the best way to go.
With traditional marriage interracial relationships are also off limits especially in the US because it is considered "impure".
We come to the last of my points, Divorce. Divorce destroys the entire idea of marriage and yet it has become acceptable even though people scream about preserving tradition.
Traditional marriage values are in my opinion out dated. I believe if that is what you believe in, you should be fighting for marriage to be a religious union with no legal backing. If that were the case I would agree that gay marriage shouldn't be allowed nor divorce, however it's not. It is legal and because of that they deserve the same rights as you or me.

Gay marriage: agree or disagree?
Why is that?
Do you believe that we should throw out the constitution and reinstate religious doctrine as law?
if so why?
Traditional marriage: misunderstood or just outdated?

Very true. Many countries still view women as property & will send their daughters off to "Marry" the highest bidder, even if they are related by blood. Some men have been known to marry their own daughters! It's sexual slavery.
Keeping this in mind, the very idea of marriage is very... Old.

Let's look at the origins of the wedding ring, shall we?
In the days of the caveman, when a man chose a woman that he wanted, he would tie her up, beat and rape her until she stopped attempting to escape. When that was established, he would leave a ring of rope around one of her fingers as a reminder of what would happen to her should she try to escape again. This ring was also proof of ownership, should another man want to take the woman for himself.

Today, many people still see the wedding ring as proof of ownership. I have friends (male friends) who give their girlfriends specific rings after having sex with them so that he can tell his friends "If you ever see a girl with this ring, know that I've tapped that!" It's very juvenile and sexist, if you ask me, but women will proudly wear the rings that these boys give them under the impression that he actully cares about her.



This is also true and further proves my point that marriage between a man and a woman is very sexist. Some people in America even look down upon housewives and stay-at-home moms, so it makes no sense to claim that marriage should stay 'traditional'.



Gay Marriage: Agree
Why?: Marriage should no longer be considered a sexist thing. To allow 2 women to marry is to say "We are equals. Neither of us needs a male to be happy. We don't have to be submissive to survive."
Do you believe that we should throw out the constitution and reinstate religious doctrine as law?: No. I like marriage as a whole the way it is, but it should be open to anyone. I believe that if gay marriage were legal, there would be significantly less divorce. Do you have any idea how many men marry women because they feel they're supposed to? Never mind the fact that they're interested in men, not women, they do as society tells them to. Not only is this just plain wrong, it's often very painful/difficult for the women involved to accept. No one wants to be told "I'm leaving you for another gender", and yet that's exactly what many are having to hear. It needs to end.
Traditional marriage: Both. It just needs to go. As I said before, traditional marriage is sexist, but so few people see it as such because they simply assume "Love is supposed to feel like this", despite the fact that there is (almost) always a dominant male and a submissive female.

To summarize, Gay marriage should be legal - The gays deserve the right to be happy too!