Gay marriage: It’s about time

Victoria Zawitkowski
Staff Columnist

With the indirect approval of gay marriage in the state of Virginia my only question is: Why is federal approval taking so long? Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital, legalized same-sex marriage in 2010. Even if we set aside the fact that denying the LGBT community their rights is comparable to the discrimination during the Civil Rights movement of the ’50s, the gay community has been a prominent, part of our society for years now. Allowing same-sex marriage nationwide would ultimately be a positive decision for the U.S.

The battle between gay rights supporters and opponents began decades ago. Dave Sherkat, Melissa Powell-Williams, Gregory Maddox and Kylan Mattias de Vries conducted research from 1988 to 2008 on the political and religious factors affecting same-sex marriage laws. They found that most people born after 1945 were supportive of same-sex marriage, except those with strict religious or politically conservative views. And yet in the 1992 election, being for and against gay rights became part of the platforms for the Democratic and Republican Party, respectively. The gay rights movement had already begun.

Although same-sex marriage has not officially been passed by all 50 states, the gay community has managed to flourish in other ways and has slowly acquired more rights over the years. According to Melinda Kane, most states decriminalized homosexual activity more than forty years ago. More states have adopted ordinances that fight discrimination based on sexual orientation. We also have politicians that have been elected and serve as openly gay members of the community. Just this year, Pope Francis gave his famous “Who am I to judge?” response on the subject of gay priests. The majority of the U.S. has grown to accept the inevitability of same-sex marriage and everyone else might as well follow suit.

Denying rights to the LGBTQ community is holding those individuals to different standards than the rest of the country. In creating a second class of U.S. citizens we are encouraging a more divided nation. Harris Interactive and Witeck-Combs Communication found that in 2010, 6.8 percent of Americans over the age of 18, self identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. That means 15 to 16 million people are restricted from rights given to the rest of us. How long do opponents of gay marriage think they can successfully ban millions of people from the right to marry?

It is especially disconcerting that so much effort is being put towards preventing same-sex marriage by people whose lives are not negatively affected by it. Improving the lives of the gay community, which is wide-spread and influential, could actually improve our country as a whole.

Allowing same-sex marriage would create more revenue for the U.S., according to M.V. Lee Badgett and several other economists in their decade-long research project. Married couples would have access to better spousal healthcare benefits and are subject to the marriage tax on federal tax forms. That is not to mention the millions of dollars to be made for wedding-related industries and the sales tax revenue that will be generated from so many more wedding ceremonies. Many businesses want to encourage their employees to do their best work — which would also benefit our economy-instead of focusing on ways they may or may not be discriminated against in the workplace. That is why companies as profitable as Apple, Nike, Microsoft and Google stood up against the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8, which both sought to prevent gay marriage. The smarter, more powerful companies know it is in their best interests to give the same “heterosexual” rights to the LGBTQ community.

There are many more ethical and moral reasons to support gay marriage than to fight it. But if those are not the reasons to get behind, there are at least the practical and economical ones. The U.S. has been on a long journey to allow same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexuals. At this point, opponents are fighting a losing battle. There are only 20 states left with gay marriage bans. They should get on with it already.

The majority of the U.S. has grown to accept the inevitability of same-sex marriage and everyone else might as well follow suit.

Denying rights to the LGBTQ community is holding those individuals to different standards than the rest of the country. In creating a second class of U.S. citizens we are encouraging a more divided nation. Harris Interactive and Witeck-Combs Communication found that in 2010, 6.8 percent of Americans over the age of 18, self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. That means 15 to 16 million people are restricted from rights given to the rest of us. How long do opponents of gay marriage think they can successfully ban millions of people from the right to marry?

It is especially disconcerting that so much effort is being put towards preventing same-sex marriage by people whose lives are not negatively affected by it. Improving the lives of the gay community, which is wide-spread and influential, could actually improve our country as a whole.

Allowing same-sex marriage would create more revenue for the U.S., according to M.V. Lee Badgett and several other economists following a decade-long research project. Married couples would have access to better spousal health care benefits and are subject to the marriage tax on federal tax forms. That is not to mention the millions of dollars to be made for wedding-related industries and the sales tax revenue that will be generated from so many more wedding ceremonies. Many businesses want to encourage their employees to do their best work – which would also benefit our economy-instead of focusing on ways they may or may not be discriminated against in the workplace. That is why companies as profitable as Apple, Nike, Microsoft and Google stood up against the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8, which both sought to prevent gay marriage. The smarter, more powerful companies know it is in their best interests to give the same “heterosexual” rights to the LGBTQ community.

There are many more ethical and moral reasons to support gay marriage than to fight it. But if those are not the reasons to get behind, there are at least the practical and economical ones. The U.S. has been on a long journey to allow same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexuals. At this point, opponents are fighting a losing battle. There are only 20 states left with gay marriage bans. They should get on with it already.