OK gang, here's what I've come up with for my persuasive speech, which I'm giving next Wednesday. Let me know what ya think. And let me give you your Wilde quote now while I'm thinking about it:
Women are pictures, men are problems: if you want to know what a woman really means, look at her, don't listen to her.
Chris and Alex are your next door neighbors. A friendly, charming couple, theyve been together for twenty years and are clearly devoted to one another. They have a lovely home, secure jobs and are active in the community. They have two teenage children bright, lively kids who enjoy school and have many friends, among them your own children. They are one of the most popular and well-liked families in your neighborhood, and you are proud to call them your friends.
One day, the unthinkable happens. Chris is suddenly taken ill, is rushed to the hospital, and shortly thereafter slips into a coma. The family is thrown into turmoil. A bad situation becomes even worse when they discover that Alex has no legal right to visit Chris in the hospital, make any medical decisions regarding Chris care, or to take sick leave from work in order to care for Chris. Why? Because Chris and Alex are not married. Not because they dont wish to be, but because it is illegal for them to be. You see, Chris and Alex are a same-sex couple. They are both men or they are both women. And same-sex marriage is illegal in the United States. This is wrong. Today I want to discuss some of the legal, economic and social advantages that legalizing same-sex marriage would provide to gay and lesbian couples, and address some of the most commonly-heard objections to the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Allowing same-sex couples to marry would provide many legal benefits that are difficult to obtain by other legal means. Demian of the Partners Task Force for Gay and Lesbian Couples stresses that while some religious groups will force their way into legislative discussions and into court cases, this is really not a religious issue. Legal marriage is a matter of civil law, a contract that invokes legal obligations and benefits for a couple. He goes on to list some of these advantages. They include: Automatic assumption of spouses pension automatic inheritance child custody domestic violence protection joint adoption and foster care medical decisions on behalf of partner sick leave to care for partner visitation of partner in hospital or prison and wrongful death benefits. These and many other legal rights would finally be afforded to gay and lesbian couples if they were legally allowed to marry.
There are also many economic advantages to legalizing same-sex marriage. The Partners Task Force for Gay and Lesbian Couples has found that benefits are often granted to married partners [by employers] because it is seen as a way of attracting quality employees. Married employees are also seen as being more stable. The Task Force also conducted a study of the monthly benefits received by an unmarried, partnered worker making $40,000 a year. They discovered that after ten years of employment, this worker would earn nearly $56,000 less than a married co-worker. When the employee passed away, his or her surviving partner could lose $8000 in pension payments and nearly $5000 of social security benefits after ten years. Again, legalizing same-sex marriage would greatly ease such financial burdens for gay and lesbian couples.
Finally, the social benefits of allowing same-sex couples to legally marry are great. While a marriage certificate is certainly not necessary for, nor no guarantee of, a happy committed relationship, being married is a wonderful way to say to the world, I love this person. This person and I have dedicated our lives to one another. We want to spend the rest of our lives together! Demian of the Partners Task Force for Gay and Lesbian Couples writes, Marriage is a symbol of being a grown-up. It is the principle sign of social maturity. It seems to me that same-sex couples who have committed themselves to each other, til death do us part, deserve the same dignity and respect as do heterosexual couples who make the same decision.
Many objections have been raised to the idea of legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States. One of the most commonly heard is that it will destroy the institution of marriage. I think its helpful to remember that the institution of marriage itself was not always held in such high regard in Western civilization. Author Barbara G. Walker describes the attitudes of some of the early Church fathers to the idea of marriage: St. Augustine flatly stated that marriage is a sin. Tatian said marriage is corruption, a polluted and foul way of life. Influenced by him, Syrian churches ruled that no person could become Christian except celibate men, and no man who had ever been married could be baptized Centuries later, St. Bernard still proclaimed that it was easier for a man to bring the dead back to life than to live with a woman without endangering his soul. As for the idea that allowing same-sex couples to marry will destroy the institution of marriage, I have always found this statement rather puzzling and somewhat amusing, given the fact that the divorce rate in this country currently hovers at around 50%. It would appear that heterosexuals themselves are already doing a fairly good job of destroying the institution of marriage.
Another oft-heard objection to the legalization of same-sex marriage is that the prime reason for marriage is the begetting and raising of children. Well, by that logic, couples who do not plan to have children should not be allowed to marry. Couples with fertility problems should not be allowed to marry. Neither should couples in which the woman is past menopause. In fact, the logical conclusion of this line of reasoning is that when a wife reaches her menopausal years and is no longer able to bear children, her husband should divorce her and marry a younger woman who WILL bear his children!
Finally, the issue of sex always seems to come up during discussions of this subject. Homosexual sex is unnatural, immoral and disgusting, those who object often say. Well, I have a news flash for these people. What two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home does not concern anyone but themselves. And as you probably know, the Supreme Court of the United States now finally agrees with me on this. Lets get our noses out of peoples bedrooms, and lets give committed gay and lesbian couples the civil rights that they deserve.
Love knows no reason, no boundaries, no gender. Any two people who love and are dedicated to one another be they man and woman, man and man, or woman and woman deserve all of the legal, economic and social benefits that legal civil marriage can provide. Lets legalize same-sex marriage in the United States now.
Women are pictures, men are problems: if you want to know what a woman really means, look at her, don't listen to her.
Chris and Alex are your next door neighbors. A friendly, charming couple, theyve been together for twenty years and are clearly devoted to one another. They have a lovely home, secure jobs and are active in the community. They have two teenage children bright, lively kids who enjoy school and have many friends, among them your own children. They are one of the most popular and well-liked families in your neighborhood, and you are proud to call them your friends.
One day, the unthinkable happens. Chris is suddenly taken ill, is rushed to the hospital, and shortly thereafter slips into a coma. The family is thrown into turmoil. A bad situation becomes even worse when they discover that Alex has no legal right to visit Chris in the hospital, make any medical decisions regarding Chris care, or to take sick leave from work in order to care for Chris. Why? Because Chris and Alex are not married. Not because they dont wish to be, but because it is illegal for them to be. You see, Chris and Alex are a same-sex couple. They are both men or they are both women. And same-sex marriage is illegal in the United States. This is wrong. Today I want to discuss some of the legal, economic and social advantages that legalizing same-sex marriage would provide to gay and lesbian couples, and address some of the most commonly-heard objections to the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Allowing same-sex couples to marry would provide many legal benefits that are difficult to obtain by other legal means. Demian of the Partners Task Force for Gay and Lesbian Couples stresses that while some religious groups will force their way into legislative discussions and into court cases, this is really not a religious issue. Legal marriage is a matter of civil law, a contract that invokes legal obligations and benefits for a couple. He goes on to list some of these advantages. They include: Automatic assumption of spouses pension automatic inheritance child custody domestic violence protection joint adoption and foster care medical decisions on behalf of partner sick leave to care for partner visitation of partner in hospital or prison and wrongful death benefits. These and many other legal rights would finally be afforded to gay and lesbian couples if they were legally allowed to marry.
There are also many economic advantages to legalizing same-sex marriage. The Partners Task Force for Gay and Lesbian Couples has found that benefits are often granted to married partners [by employers] because it is seen as a way of attracting quality employees. Married employees are also seen as being more stable. The Task Force also conducted a study of the monthly benefits received by an unmarried, partnered worker making $40,000 a year. They discovered that after ten years of employment, this worker would earn nearly $56,000 less than a married co-worker. When the employee passed away, his or her surviving partner could lose $8000 in pension payments and nearly $5000 of social security benefits after ten years. Again, legalizing same-sex marriage would greatly ease such financial burdens for gay and lesbian couples.
Finally, the social benefits of allowing same-sex couples to legally marry are great. While a marriage certificate is certainly not necessary for, nor no guarantee of, a happy committed relationship, being married is a wonderful way to say to the world, I love this person. This person and I have dedicated our lives to one another. We want to spend the rest of our lives together! Demian of the Partners Task Force for Gay and Lesbian Couples writes, Marriage is a symbol of being a grown-up. It is the principle sign of social maturity. It seems to me that same-sex couples who have committed themselves to each other, til death do us part, deserve the same dignity and respect as do heterosexual couples who make the same decision.
Many objections have been raised to the idea of legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States. One of the most commonly heard is that it will destroy the institution of marriage. I think its helpful to remember that the institution of marriage itself was not always held in such high regard in Western civilization. Author Barbara G. Walker describes the attitudes of some of the early Church fathers to the idea of marriage: St. Augustine flatly stated that marriage is a sin. Tatian said marriage is corruption, a polluted and foul way of life. Influenced by him, Syrian churches ruled that no person could become Christian except celibate men, and no man who had ever been married could be baptized Centuries later, St. Bernard still proclaimed that it was easier for a man to bring the dead back to life than to live with a woman without endangering his soul. As for the idea that allowing same-sex couples to marry will destroy the institution of marriage, I have always found this statement rather puzzling and somewhat amusing, given the fact that the divorce rate in this country currently hovers at around 50%. It would appear that heterosexuals themselves are already doing a fairly good job of destroying the institution of marriage.
Another oft-heard objection to the legalization of same-sex marriage is that the prime reason for marriage is the begetting and raising of children. Well, by that logic, couples who do not plan to have children should not be allowed to marry. Couples with fertility problems should not be allowed to marry. Neither should couples in which the woman is past menopause. In fact, the logical conclusion of this line of reasoning is that when a wife reaches her menopausal years and is no longer able to bear children, her husband should divorce her and marry a younger woman who WILL bear his children!
Finally, the issue of sex always seems to come up during discussions of this subject. Homosexual sex is unnatural, immoral and disgusting, those who object often say. Well, I have a news flash for these people. What two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home does not concern anyone but themselves. And as you probably know, the Supreme Court of the United States now finally agrees with me on this. Lets get our noses out of peoples bedrooms, and lets give committed gay and lesbian couples the civil rights that they deserve.
Love knows no reason, no boundaries, no gender. Any two people who love and are dedicated to one another be they man and woman, man and man, or woman and woman deserve all of the legal, economic and social benefits that legal civil marriage can provide. Lets legalize same-sex marriage in the United States now.
VIEW 11 of 11 COMMENTS
Nothing persuades religious people so much as quoting their good bits well.
It is very interesting how you dance between a completely love-based notion of marriage as love and a legalistic notion of marriage as a contract.
Anything which protects marriage by forbidding divorce or second marriages scares the shit out of heterosexuals, especially those in evangelical sects, which tend to have a very high percentage of second or even third-marriage couples within their most stalwart "pillars."
Give 'em hell, Wednesday!