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Social Values & Norms

Should we approve of same sex marriage?

The question, "Should we approve of same-sex marriage?" implies that we have a right to approve or disapprove of two people's making a permanent, legal, commitment to one another. I don't particularly think we are in a position to approve or disapprove of gay marriage, any more than we are to approve or disapprove of someone who chooses to have more or fewer children than we think they should.

There is the question of whether the term, "marriage," should be legally defined to mean one woman and one man while giving gay/lesbian marriage a different name, such as "civil unions".
I think that's a fair question. For all those who believe that our laws should not deny our fellow human beings the right to marry the partner of their choice, there are others who so value the traditional role of marriage (one man/one women) in society, they would prefer the traditional definition of "marriage" be preserved and a different term apply to gay/lesbian unions. Both are fair and reasonable sides of that fair and reasonable question. There are even people who believe that giving gay/lesbian unions their own term and set of laws could offer the partners protections that "one-size-fits-all" marriage doesn't, in view of the sometimes more complex matter of children, parentage, and any birth parents.

Another question is whether or not we have the right to decide which two individual adults can enter a permanent, legal, relationship. If we do, who gave us that right? (Don't say, "God," because for every person who believes God disapproves of homosexuality, there is someone else who believes God blesses gay/lesbian marriages too. Besides, the question being addressed is not whether God approves of same-sex marriage, but of whether we should; and those are two different questions.)

I honestly don't mean to be disrespectful or irreverent here, but there may even be the question of who wears what in a gay marriage ceremony, or how do "maid-of-honor" and "best man" work? Do two men still need a maid-of-honor? Do two women still need a best man? Should there be two best men or one, who can be best man to both men? Should there be two maids-of-honor or one? Can one maid-of-honor be enough maid-of-honor for two brides (and should we call both women "brides" at a same-sex wedding)? These questions are actually reasonable questions, particularly for heterosexual people who have never attended a same-sex marriage. Again, I'm not being sarcastic or "wise". These are,


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