Protecting Gay & Lesbian Families

No issue generates more controversy or passionate debate than the battle over whether gay and lesbian families should have the same protections as other families. It’s important to look beyond the rhetoric to examine reality. Gay and lesbian families deserve and need the same rights, benefits, and responsibilities as all other families.

It is important to differentiate between a civil marriage and a religious marriage. Let us be very clear, we are fighting only for civil protections, nothing more, nothing less. We do not want to infringe on a religion’s imperative and traditions. Any religion should be able to define marriage however it wishes. Enacting civil marriage for gays and lesbians will not force the Roman Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Orthodox Jewish religion or any other denomination to recognize gay and lesbian relationships. Some religions undoubtedly will choose to bless and recognize these loving unions. However, i respect the importance of religious freedom and believe each church should be able to decide this issue without government interference.

Gay and lesbians will not achieve total equality until we our families have the same protections as every other family. As long as the government can discriminate against our relationships, we are not equal. Many heterosexual couples take these things for granted, but gay and lesbian families live everyday without these basic guarantees.

Here are some of the more than 1,100 rights and benefits not given to gay and lesbian families.

We do not have the right to visit a sick partner in the hospital.
We do not have the right to make medical decisions for our partners should they become incapacitated.
We do not have the right to take time off from work to deal with our partner’s personal or medial emergency.
In many countries, joint adoptions are not allowed. That means only one parent has official custody of a child. What happens to that child if their “official parent” gets sick or dies? The child’s ability to remain with their other parent becomes jeopardized.
Social security benefits are not passed from one partner to another. In a heterosexual marriage, when someone dies, the surviving spouse receives their social security benefits. Not so for gay and lesbian couples. They pay into a system that does not protect their partner if they die.
If a gay or lesbian person gets health insurance benefits from their partner’s job, they must pay income tax on those benefits. For a married couple, there is no such tax.
If a gay or lesbian person unexpectedly dies without a will, their partner has no inheritance rights.

This list could go on and on. By itself, each item might not seem like a big deal. But taken together, the list of benefits and responsibilities provide important protection for families. Failing to provide gay and lesbian families with those same guarantees is unjust and unwise—creating instability and worry for many families.

Some interesting revelations become clear when you examine the poll numbers associated with this issue. No matter what the numbers say about support or opposition to gay marriage, ask the questions more precisely and you get consistent support for fairness and equality. Should gay and lesbians have the right to visit their partner in the hospital? Should they receive a partner’s social security benefits? Should a gay couple get the same tax benefits as a married couple? Overwhelmingly, polls show answer, “Yes!” to these questions. They understand this is an issue of fairness.

In recent years, public opinion polls have demonstrated steady and increasing support to recognize and protect our families. I confident, over time, more will understand why our families need the same protections and support as their families. As more of us come out to our families and friends, people are able to put a face with an abstract issue. They ask, why shouldn’t my brother be able to marry the man he loves? Why shouldn’t my daughter be able to adopt her child? Why shouldn’t my friend be able to visit his partner in the hospital? As more see their loved ones facing discrimination, they understand the importance of providing civil marriage equality. People are promised the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That phrase loses its meaning if a person does not have a right to marry the one they love.

The Irish Same Sex Marriage Referendum

The Republic of Ireland held a referendum on same-sex marriage on May 23, 2015.

Dublin crowds celebrated the referendum result on 24 May 2015

The electorate voted to amend the constitution to permit same sex marriage.

The final result was:

Yes – 1,201,607 (62.1%)
No – 734,300 – (37.9%)

The turnout was 60.5%.

Nana Akufo-Addo: Marriage Equality won’t be Legalized in Ghana

Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that same-sex marriage will not be legalized in Ghana under his presidency.

Speaking at St. Micheal and All Angels Cathedral in Asante Mampong during the installation of the Second Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Ghana, the President said he won’t legalize same-sex marriage in the country.

“For same-sex marriage to be legalized in Ghana, it will not happen in my time as President,” Nana Addo said at the ceremony.

This President’s comment comes in the wake of pressure on the government to come clear and state its position on activities of persons who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex. (LGBTI+)

The opening of an LGBTI+ office at Ashongman in Accra has sparked a national debate as to whether Ghana will legalize LGBTI+.

Whoi is Nana Akufo-Addo?

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, born 29 March 1944) is a Ghanaian politician who is the current president of the Republic of Ghana. He has been in office since 7 January 2017.He previously served as Attorney General from 2001 to 2003 and as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2007 under the Kufuor-led administration. He is also currently serving his second term as the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

The Ongoing Debate of Same-Sex Marriages

Look it up in the dictionary, seriously: it’s “the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law” or “the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage” or even simply put an “intimate or close union.”

You won’t find any inherent ‘Christian’ origin to the word. In fact, according to the Merriam-Webster, the word was first used in the 14th century. Think about the origins of God’s Word, and you can surmise that the actual English word of ‘marriage’ wasn’t obviously used! It’s a translation.

So…. That being said, why are people still arguing like little children over a ‘word?’

You have your traditionals, mostly religious, taking ownership of the institute itself, and same-sex couples wanting the right to use the word as well. The fact is this: a marriage is a marriage, regardless of same sex or traditional man and wife. What you call it doesn’t matter. Look at the dictionary again.

For Lord’s sake, we’re not going to call them ‘unions’ or anything, or else we’ll have to change a bunch of other things: holy matrimony to legal union, getting married to getting ‘unioned,’ marriage vows to union promises (because you know the religious rite would be all over the word ‘vow,’ too).

Get off the high horse with the ‘marriage is from God’ stuff and let it go. Homosexuals have every right to get ‘married’ as anyone else, right? Let’s not twist and confuse the system anymore by injecting more lingo into something that should be simple (after all, marriage is a lot of things but simple!).

Same Sex Marriages & Marriage Equality

A socially or legally recognized union of two people of the same social gender or biological sex is called a gay marriage. Countries have legally formalized marriages of same-sex couples. Recognizing such marriages has become a political, moral, civil rights, religious, and social issue in many countries. Many conflicts have arisen over allowing these couples to marry, whether the term marriage or civil union be used, or be granted limited rights or equal rights.

An argument supporting marriages of the same sex says that denying legal access to benefits and marriage discriminates based on their sexual orientation. Another supporting argument is that physical, psychological, and financial well being are all enhanced by being married. Also the children of these couples will benefit if raised by both parents in a recognized legal union that is supported by society. Court documents state if gay women and men are singled out as being ineligible to marry it stigmatizes them and invites discrimination of the public against them. Other arguments state that there are social consequences of gay marriages, parenting concerns, tradition, and religious grounds.

Gay marriages are legal in Belgium, Argentina, Iceland, Canada, Norway, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Portugal, and Sweden. Mexico City, USA and more.. performs gay marriages but has to have recognition of all the Mexican states. Attitudes towards gay marriages range from praise, to indifference, toleration, and prohibition. Some opposers argue that religious freedoms will be eroded, and while good for a couple, the rights of children are undermined. Some supporters think the government should not regulate personal relationships.

Where Is Gay Marriage Legal?

Gay marriages, often also referred to as same-sex marriages, have been a contentious issue all over the world, especially in countries, where both the debate and debaters are to interact at a very public forum. Over the years, many arguments have been put forward in support of and against the legalization of gay marriages, each based upon by a volley of opinions coming from different schools of thought.

When examining the nature of debate over the question of legality regarding gay marriages, there are three main generic divisions within which the arguments regulate – biological, social and religious. If we consider the biological debate, the arguments from each side are not unexpectedly novel or unique. Those opposed to gay marriage argue that homosexuality is against the natural norms of procreation. The male and female species are anatomically designed to interact physically in harmony to lead to the creation of human off-springs. In that sense, the sexual interaction between the same sexes is against the laws of nature, and thus unacceptable in the social context of a healthy living community. On the other hand, gay activists propose that for those people who do not consider the lack of ability to procreate a set-back in any way, a homosexual relationship and its legal acceptance should not be an issue. While there are multiple sub-clauses to these arguments as well, the gist of the divergence lies in the question of procreation.

The social and religious facets of this debate concerning same-sex marriages are largely so interlinked. People of the Catholic religious tradition belief that homosexuality is against the tenets of the Bible. Thus, those involved in gay relationships are in complete violation of the Christian religious ideology.

l. Therefore, homosexuality and its legal sanction is not in any way a rejection or violation of any religious sensibilities. Either way, since there is no way in which to come upon an interpretation of the Bible that shall be acceptable to both the anti-gay and pro-gay sects of the agenda, it is hard to reach any nature of conclusion on this aspect of debate.

The social aspect of the debate on homosexuality is somewhat linked with both the biological and religious debate. Those who are not in favor of legalizing of gay marriage argue that since homosexuality is ‘unnatural’ and ‘a desecration of Christian Dictates’, legalizing same-sex unions shall lead to the spread of this socio-sexual anomaly in society. Providing legal sanction to same-sex marriages shall cause more and more people to believe that homosexuality is not a deviation from what is healthy and desirable, thus leading to the degradation of society. Those in support of the legalizing gay marriage argue that sexual orientation may be either an inherent preference or a personal life-style choice. Either way, any free individual should be at liberty to indulge in a relationship of homosexual nature, just as people can free have heterosexual relationships. Since gay people are not in any way less human than heterosexuals, and nor do their relationships have lesser or more sanctity than those of the latter, there is no reason why their marital union should not be illegal.

While there is no end to the debate on homosexuality and its legal sanction. While the judicial response has been varied in different regions, there is a general trend of homosexuality gaining more acceptances over the past decade.

1. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriages.
2. Belgium followed suit in 2003 and granted equal rights to same-sex married couples.
3. Canada, In 2005, the Canadian Parliament passed legislation making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.
4. Spain, Also in 2005, a closely divided Spanish parliament agreed to do the same.
5. After South Africa‘s highest court ruled the country’s marriage laws violated the constitution’s guarantee of equal rights, parliament legalized same-sex marriage in 2006.
6. In 1993 Norway allowed gay couples to enter civil unions, but it took until 2008 for a Norway to pass a gender-neutral marriage law.
7. In 2009, Sweden voted overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage.
8. Iceland‘s parliament voted unanimously to legalize same-sex marriage in 2010.
9. Portugal has also allowed same-sex marriage since 2010, after legislation was originally challenged by the country’s president.
10. In 2010, Argentina became the first Latin American country to allow same-sex marriage.
11. Denmark‘s legalization came in 2012 after Queen Margrethe II gave her royal assent to the proposed legislation.
12. Uruguay passed legislation allowing same-sex marriage in 2013.
13. In 2013, New Zealand became the first country in the Asia-Pacific to legislate for same-sex marriage.
14. President Francois Hollande signed a measure legalizing marriage equality in France in 2013.
15. Brazil’s National Council of Justice ruled that same-sex couples should not be denied marriage licenses in 2013, allowing same-sex marriages to begin across the country.
16. England and Wales became the first countries in the UK to pass marriage equality in 2014.
17. Scotland voted overwhelmingly in favor of of legalizing same-sex marriage later in 2014.
18. Luxembourg overwhelmingly approved legislation to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed and to adopt children that went into effect in 2015.
19. Finland approved a marriage equality bill in 2014.
20. Ireland became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage through a popular vote in 2015.
21. Greenland, the world’s biggest island, passed same-sex legislation in 2015.
22. The United States Supreme Court made marriage equality federal law in 2015.
23. Colombia became the fourth Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2016.
24. In 2017, Germany became the 15th European country to allow same-sex couples to wed.
25. In 2017, nearly all of Malta‘s parliament voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage.
26. Australia legalized same-sex marriage in 2017 after lawmakers enacted the will of the majority of citizens who overwhelmingly voted for the measure by postal vote.
27. Taiwan made history on May 24, 2019, becoming the first place in Asia to pass laws on marriage equality.
28. Ecuador‘s highest court approved same-sex marriage in a 5-4 ruling.
29. Costa Rica became the first Central American country to legalize same-sex marriage on May 26, 2020.

The column contains personal comments.

Gay Marriage

Gay marriage has always been a hot topic in the past and will continue to be as more and more people finally come out and reveal themselves. Even more celebrity figures have been more brave and have racked up the courage to come out in front of a national audience.

But what about the people, you know; the average straight people that exist in the world, how do they feel about gay marriages and homosexuality in general?

Some people believe it’s a sickness, some believe that it conflicts with the same religions.

How do you feel about gay marriages?

There are countries that allow and support it, why not the others? It will take some time for other states to catch on to the fact of “equality”. Discrimination is always brought up with the topic of gay marriages and couples. Homosexuality is a very emotional topic for most people and we do not mean to offend anyone who comes to our site and reads the information we have.

Throughout this site you will find more topics about gay marriage and factual data that is currently going on within the world and United States. Be sure to bookmark this site to follow up with us as we continue to grow.

Gay Marriage Facts: What you need to Know about Same Sex Marriage

It used to be men and ladies. Presently, society considers a third sex which we generally allude to as gays. Throughout the years, gay individuals are battling for acknowledgment in the general public and also enabling them to wed whoever they pick in view of one’s established certification of balance. While a few preservationists contradict to this thought, there are numerous libertarians who are going down this support, regardless of the possibility that it takes conveying this up to Congress or the Highest Court of the Land.

Definition of Gay Marital Union

Otherwise called same sex marriage, gay person union is a marriage between two people of the same organic sex or sex personality. At the end of the day, it is the union amongst man and man or lady and lady as indicated by their own particular individual freedom and individual inclination.

Marriage among gay can be performed either through a common function or religious setting as there are different religious gatherings that help gay person marriage and permit same sex wedding services.

Same Facts about Homosexual Marriage

Marriage should be a union amongst man and lady. In any case, that is not the situation here. Throughout the years, more nations are gradually perceiving and authorizing a similar sex conjugal unions and notwithstanding giving advantages and equivalent get to like relational unions amongst man and lady. The accompanying demonstrates the distinctive gay marriage facts:

Acknowledgment of same sexual orientation marriage as a common right has turned into a political, good, social and religious issue among a great deal of nations. That is the reason the main laws permitting same sexual orientation unions were just authorized amid mid 2000.

Netherlands was the main nation to permit gay person marriage when same sex conjugal union bill was passed and turned into a law on April 1, 2001 with 3.6% of the aggregate number of relational unions ascribed to gay couples. In any case, the quantity of strange marriage dropped throughout the years with just 1,100 couples getting hitched on 2005.

As of April 2013, there were just twelve nations that legitimately perceive and permit same sex couples to wed – Argentina, Belgium, Uruguay, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, South Africa, Iceland, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal and Norway.

Albeit a few nations on the planet don’t permit execution of marriage among same sex couples, there are other legitimately perceived unions permitted, for example, common organization, common union or residential association. In spite of the fact that there is as yet a different status, this sort of union offers benefits and lawful outcomes of marriage in spite of the non-execution of the function.

By the American Psychological Association and American Psychiatric Association, the budgetary, physical and mental prosperity of couples of a similar sex are upgraded by marriage, in this manner making it helpful for kids to be raised by gay accomplices. Additionally considers even demonstrate that gay guardians are fit and competent as hetero guardians wherein the youngsters raised will be mentally solid and composed. The Roman Catholic Church is among the greatest religious division who contradicts and pledges unequivocally against same sex marriage.

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