by Don Patrick Amarasinghe

Created on: May 22, 2009   Last Updated: June 04, 2009

As to liberal interpretation, homosexuality is a genetically predetermined condition, and influenced by unknown environmental factors. It is an orientation, not an addiction, or a learned behavior. Conservative estimates show that 1-2% of the U.S. population constitutes with homosexual individuals. As rest of us, homosexual couples have the right to live, right to love, and should have the right to own and inherit property. They should have the same rights as straight couples to receive social and economic benefits extended by the government as they pay taxes to finance various services. One can oppose to their marriage right only on moral and religious grounds, but there is no strong legal basis to this opposition. On the other hand gay marriage could help promote local economic development, reduce government costs, increase local income, and create new employment opportunities.

The degree of acceptance of gay marriage at the state level varies substantially. The states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, and Iowa legalized gay marriages, and allowed also couples from other states to get married in those states. In New Hampshire and New Jersey, same-sex couples can enter into "civil unions" that entail the same rights and responsibilities as marriage. New York's Governor, David Paterson, introduced legislation for same-sex marriage in the state's legislature. Illinois working on civil union bill to be included in its legislature. California, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia have "domestic-partnership" laws that extend many of the benefits of marriage to same-sex couples. In DC domestic partnership laws were included in the legislature labeling "everything but marriage bill."(2009). However, twenty-nine states have approved state constitutional amendments that ban gay marriage, and marriage is defined as a union of a man and a woman. These states are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Hawaii.

At the federal level, the federal Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, Public Law No.104-199, defines marriage as a union of a man and a woman. This deprives many benefits to homosexual couples as the above act does not recognize same sex unions as legal. Williamson Institute of the University

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