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Well violence is what gets the attention of others in the easiest and more visible manner. From siblings fighting all the way to empire conquering, if you want to send a message or push towards a goal, and violence could help you get there, why not? That's what history has taught us, yet we keep forgetting and need the lesson again ,and again ,and again. Once it starts, it attracts those who enjoy violence and those who look for ways to continue it. For the most part, violent cries for attention are justified around the world. Not because the message behind it deserves attention, but because if it finally escalated to violence, something somewhere needs to change and it needs to happen sooner rather than later.

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I wouldn't say that people are afraid of the LGBT community. The people who are against LGBT people just don't understand how someone can be attracted to the same gender and they don't like what they can't/don't understand. Some people are just raised to dislike/hate LGBT people and that's wrong. And yet some people hate on LGBT people for religious beliefs. There are plenty of reasons why people are against LGBT (and to me they're all bad reasons) but I wouldn't say that those people are afraid of the LGBT community.

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-Cinco de Mayo marks the date of a Mexican military victory over France not Spain

-Mexican Independence Day is September 16

- Bigger deal in the US than Mexico

-For most Americans, Cinco de Mayo calls to mind tequila shots, mariachi music, and special promotions at Mexican restaurants.

-

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Why is it that society thinks it is good to respond in violence?

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Why are people afraid of the LGBT community?

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On the LGBT cohort just about everyone could see that others are treated better than others. I think we all agree that we should treat everyone like we want to be treated. I can see from every side that everyone is on. I think we all just want to see everyone happy without any hate coming towards them.

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This picture of Lady Bunny is showing how she isn't afraid to show the world how she feels or how she wants to look.

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The Makeup Show Gala took place on Friday May 2nd at Metropolitan Pavilion. This first ever fashion meets beauty soiree kicked off The Makeup Show NYC weekend and...

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" To know what you prefer, instead of saying humbly saying "Amen" to what the world tells you
you ought to prefer, is to keep your soul alive. Robert Louis Stevenson

This is the quote everyone should follow. Don't let others tell you how you need to act or who you
need to love. By going along with what others say and do is only cheating yourself. The LGBT should
not have to keep their sexuality hidden away. they should be able to embrace it.

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-Income taxes will be increased.

-place of worship will be forced to hire homosexuals.

- Your children will be indoctrinated.

social security benefits will decrease.

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This is "Same Sex Marriage Countries," the third part of point four in a six point case regarding the same-sex marriage debate. The case is outlined here.

Cons of Same Sex Marriage - It hurts Heterosexuals
Homosexual activists ask, "How would government-backed same-sex marriage hurt you?" Most conservatives have failed to answer this question, but it is not hard to foresee the following negative consequences on all Americans:

1. Your government and its intrusive ways will grow as a result of the changes we have just reviewed. That's another reason why liberals love same-sex marriage-it means more big government. They will call for more government programs to fix the mess caused by the destruction of the family and more government regulation to ensure that their new morality of political correctness is imposed on you, your children, and your place of worship.

These negative effects are indeed significant, but as we have seen, the most dramatic impact will come upon future generations. That's because same-sex marriage will change the way future generations think about homosexuality and marriage itself. Ironically, this would also hurt homosexuals.
Cons of Same Sex Marriage - It hurts Heterosexuals
For more than two hundred years of our country's history, homosexual behavior was considered bad enough to prohibit as evidenced by the many state laws against sodomy. When the Supreme Court nullified those laws in the 2003 Lawrence vs. Texas decision, it sent a message that suddenly homosexual behavior was not bad enough to prohibit-now we must permit it.

That is a significant paradigm shift, but it's nothing compared to the complete reversal of thought that the imposition of same-sex marriage would represent. If the court or congress mandates same-sex marriage, it will be in effect saying that sodomy is now good enough to promote-from prohibit, to permit, to promote. Same-sex marriage would promote the obviously false idea that homosexual behavior is just as healthy and beneficial as heterosexual behavior. This would not only hurt society, but it would hurt homosexuals as well. How so?

Given the serious health consequences of homosexual behavior, we would be unloving as a society to endorse it. We would not be merely allowing people to destroy themselves, but we would be encouraging them to do so.

David Kupelian writes this well in his book, The Marketing of Evil:

"We've forgotten as a society what love is, because supporting and justifying homosexuality is not real love any more than glorifying drinking helps the alcoholic or celebrating smoking helps wipe out lung cancer...The most loving stance for others to take is not to serve as enablers of self-destructive and immoral compulsions, but to stand in patient but firm opposition." ⁶⁰

Why don't we stand in patient but firm opposition? Because it's much easier to uncritically accept the half-truths put out by homosexual activists, and then have what seems to be compassion for them by giving them what they want. But that's not real compassion. Jay Budziszewski observes that real "compassion ought to make us visit the prisoner, dry out the alcoholic, help the pregnant girl prepare for the baby, and encourage the young homosexual to live chastely. But how much easier it is to forget the prisoner; give the drunk a drink, send the girl to the abortionist, and tell the kid to just give in. False compassion is a great deal less work than true." ⁶¹

People are being hurt by our false compassion that promotes homosexuality. Such false compassion not only entices more young adults to experiment with homosexuality, but makes the struggle more difficult for homosexuals who would like to leave the lifestyle. As George Gilder points out, "Some gays . . . are not helped by the aggressive gay liberation movement that wants to flush them out of the closet and into the street where they can be exploited by the gay rights brigade. They want to live quietly and productively and are thoughtful enough not to want to inflict their problem on others." ⁶² Indeed, promoting problem behaviors is anything but compassionate.

Homosexual activists may object to the suggestion that we know what's best for them. "Keep your compassion to yourself. I want to behave this way!" they might say. Well, you can behave that way, but don't expect the rest of society to endorse it. That would be unloving. Promoting homosexuality with government-backed same-sex marriage would not only hurt you, but it would also hurt our children and our country.

Keep Reading!

Compliments of Correct, not Politically Correct, authored by Frank Turek. For more information, visit www.impactapologetics.com.

⁶⁰ David Kupelian, The Marketing of Evil, (Nashville, WND Books, 2005), pg. 37.

⁶¹ J. Budziszewski, What We Can't Not Know, (Dallas: Spence, 2003), pg. 190.

⁶² George Gilder, Men and Marriage, (Adler, 1986), pg. 74.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

- We have all sinned and deserve God's judgment. God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him. Jesus, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was buried, and rose from the dead according to the Bible. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your Savior, declaring, " Jesus is Lord," you will be saved from judgment and spend eternity with God in heaven.

What is your response?

Yes, today I am deciding to follow Jesus

Yes, I am already a follower of Jesus

I still have questions

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This is "Same Sex Marriage Countries," the third part of point four in a six point case regarding the same-sex marriage debate. The case is outlined here. Cons of Same Sex Marriage - It hurts Heterosexuals Homosexual activists ask, "How would government-backed same-sex marriage hurt you?"

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-Turns a moral wrong into a civil right.

-A child is left without a father or mother.

- It is actually not marriage.

-Promotes Homosexual lifestyle.

- Offends God.

-

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1. It Is Not Marriage

Calling something marriage does not make it marriage. Marriage has always been a covenant between a man and a woman which is by its nature ordered toward the procreation and education of children and the unity and wellbeing of the spouses.

The promoters of same-sex "marriage" propose something entirely different. They propose the union between two men or two women. This denies the self-evident biological, physiological, and psychological differences between men and women which find their complementarity in marriage. It also denies the specific primary purpose of marriage: the perpetuation of the human race and the raising of children.

Two entirely different things cannot be considered the same thing.

2. It Violates Natural Law

Marriage is not just any relationship between human beings. It is a relationship rooted in human nature and thus governed by natural law.

Natural law's most elementary precept is that "good is to be done and pursued, and evil is to be avoided." By his natural reason, man can perceive what is morally good or bad for him. Thus, he can know the end or purpose of each of his acts and how it is morally wrong to transform the means that help him accomplish an act into the act's purpose.

Any situation which institutionalizes the circumvention of the purpose of the sexual act violates natural law and the objective norm of morality.

Being rooted in human nature, natural law is universal and immutable. It applies to the entire human race, equally. It commands and forbids consistently, everywhere and always. Saint Paul taught in the Epistle to the Romans that the natural law is inscribed on the heart of every man. (Rom. 2:14-15)

3. It Always Denies a Child Either a Father or a Mother

It is in the child's best interests that he be raised under the influence of his natural father and mother. This rule is confirmed by the evident difficulties faced by the many children who are orphans or are raised by a single parent, a relative, or a foster parent.

The unfortunate situation of these children will be the norm for all children of a same-sex "marriage." A child of a same-sex "marriage" will always be deprived of either his natural mother or father. He will necessarily be raised by one party who has no blood relationship with him. He will always be deprived of either a mother or a father role model.

Same-sex "marriage" ignores a child's best interests.

4. It Validates and Promotes the Homosexual Lifestyle

In the name of the "family," same-sex "marriage" serves to validate not only such unions but the whole homosexual lifestyle in all its bisexual and transgender variants.

Civil laws are structuring principles of man's life in society. As such, they play a very important and sometimes decisive role in influencing patterns of thought and behavior. They externally shape the life of society, but also profoundly modify everyone's perception and evaluation of forms of behavior.

Legal recognition of same-sex "marriage" would necessarily obscure certain basic moral values, devalue traditional marriage, and weaken public morality.

5. It Turns a Moral Wrong into a Civil Right

Homosexual activists argue that same-sex "marriage" is a civil rights issue similar to the struggle for racial equality in the 1960s.

This is false.

First of all, sexual behavior and race are essentially different realities. A man and a woman wanting to marry may be different in their characteristics: one may be black, the other white; one rich, the other poor; or one tall, the other short. None of these differences are insurmountable obstacles to marriage. The two individuals are still man and woman, and thus the requirements of nature are respected.

Same-sex "marriage" opposes nature. Two individuals of the same sex, regardless of their race, wealth, stature, erudition or fame, will never be able to marry because of an insurmountable biological impossibility.

Secondly, inherited and unchangeable racial traits cannot be compared with non-genetic and changeable behavior. There is simply no analogy between the interracial marriage of a man and a woman and the "marriage" between two individuals of the same sex.

6. It Does Not Create a Family but a Naturally Sterile Union

Traditional marriage is usually so fecund that those who would frustrate its end must do violence to nature to prevent the birth of children by using contraception. It naturally tends to create families.

On the contrary, same-sex "marriage" is intrinsically sterile. If the "spouses" want a child, they must circumvent nature by costly and artificial means or employ surrogates. The natural tendency of such a union is not to create families.Therefore, we cannot call a same-sex union marriage and give it the benefits of true marriage.

7. It Defeats the State's Purpose of Benefiting Marriage

One of the main reasons why the State bestows numerous benefits on marriage is that by its very nature and design, marriage provides the normal conditions for a stable, affectionate, and moral atmosphere that is beneficial to the upbringing of children-all fruit of the mutual affection of the parents. This aids in perpetuating the nation and strengthening society, an evident interest of the State.

Homosexual "marriage" does not provide such conditions. Its primary purpose, objectively speaking, is the personal gratification of two individuals whose union is sterile by nature. It is not entitled, therefore, to the protection the State extends to true marriage.

8. It Imposes Its Acceptance on All Society

By legalizing same-sex "marriage," the State becomes its official and active promoter. The State calls on public officials to officiate at the new civil ceremony, orders public schools to teach its acceptability to children, and punishes any state employee who expresses disapproval.

In the private sphere, objecting parents will see their children exposed more than ever to this new "morality," businesses offering wedding services will be forced to provide them for same-sex unions, and rental property owners will have to agree to accept same-sex couples as tenants.

In every situation where marriage affects society, the State will expect Christians and all people of good will to betray their consciences by condoning, through silence or act, an attack on the natural order and Christian morality.

9. It Is the Cutting Edge of the Sexual Revolution

In the 1960s, society was pressured to accept all kinds of immoral sexual relationships between men and women. Today we are seeing a new sexual revolution where society is being asked to accept sodomy and same-sex "marriage."

If homosexual "marriage" is universally accepted as the present step in sexual "freedom," what logical arguments can be used to stop the next steps of incest, pedophilia, bestiality, and other forms of unnatural behavior? Indeed, radical elements of certain "avant garde" subcultures are already advocating such aberrations.

The railroading of same-sex "marriage" on the American people makes increasingly clear what homosexual activist Paul Varnell wrote in the Chicago Free Press:

"The gay movement, whether we acknowledge it or not, is not a civil rights movement, not even a sexual liberation movement, but a moral revolution aimed at changing people's view of homosexuality."

10. It Offends God

This is the most important reason. Whenever one violates the natural moral order established by God, one sins and offends God. Same-sex "marriage" does just this. Accordingly, anyone who professes to love God must be opposed to it.

Marriage is not the creature of any State. Rather, it was established by God in Paradise for our first parents, Adam and Eve. As we read in the Book of Genesis: "God created man in His image; in the Divine image he created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them, saying: 'Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.'" (Gen. 1:28-29)

The same was taught by Our Savior Jesus Christ: "From the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother; and shall cleave to his wife." (Mark 10:6-7).

Genesis also teaches how God punished Sodom and Gomorrah for the sin of homosexuality: "The Lord rained down sulphurous fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah. He overthrew those cities and the whole Plain, together with the inhabitants of the cities and the produce of the soil." (Gen. 19:24-25)

Taking a Principled not a Personal Stand
In writing this statement, we have no intention to defame or disparage anyone. We are not moved by personal hatred against any individual. In intellectually opposing individuals or organizations promoting the homosexual agenda, our only intent is the defense of traditional marriage, the family, and the precious remnants of Christian civilization.

As practicing Catholics, we are filled with compassion and pray for those who struggle against unrelenting and violent temptation to homosexual sin. We pray for those who fall into homosexual sin out of human weakness, that God may assist them with His grace.

We are conscious of the enormous difference between these individuals who struggle with their weakness and strive to overcome it and others who transform their sin into a reason for pride and try to impose their lifestyle on society as a whole, in flagrant opposition to traditional Christian morality and natural law. However, we pray for these too.

We pray also for the judges, legislators and government officials who in one way or another take steps that favor homosexuality and same-sex "marriage." We do not judge their intentions, interior dispositions, or personal motivations.

We reject and condemn any violence. We simply exercise our liberty as children of God (Rom. 8:21) and our constitutional rights to free speech and the candid, unapologetic and unashamed public display of our Catholic faith. We oppose arguments with arguments. To the arguments in favor of homosexuality and same-sex "marriage" we respond with arguments based on right reason, natural law and Divine Revelation.

In a polemical statement like this, it is possible that one or another formulation may be perceived as excessive or ironic. Such is not our intention.

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10 Reasons Why Homosexual "Marriage" is Harmful and Must be Opposed

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Calling something marriage does not make it marriage. Marriage has always been a covenant between a man and a woman which is by its nature ordered toward the procreation and education of children and the unity and wellbeing of the spouses. The promoters of same-sex "marriage" propose something entirely different.

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I like that you included how the gay community can make a huge difference in life for the better. What is it that has you so interested in gay rights? Is it to stop the discrimination ?

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-much more likely to be uninsured

-Big corporations want same-sex couples to be allowed to marry because they believe
gay marriage is good for business.
-The Defense of Marriage Act creates administrative nightmares for
businesses who must, for example, withhold taxes on the value of a same-sex
spouse’s health benefits but not those for different-sex spouses

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An economist looks beneath the same-sex marriage debate to the costs incurred by couples who can't marry, by regions that won't let them, and by the economy as a whole.

Chris and Renee Wiley pose for a wedding photo on Times Square in New York, December 12, 2012. Same-sex marriage in New York state became legal on July 24, 2011.
A Note from Paul Solman: I usually answer reader questions here on Friday. But given the visibility of the same-sex marriage debate this week, I asked one of America's foremost researchers on the economics of the subject to answer a question of mine: What's the bottom line on same-sex marriage? Lee Badgett was quick to respond.
M.V. Lee Badgett: This week, all eyes were on the Supreme Court as it grappled with same-sex marriage in California and its non-recognition by the federal government. Heartwarming stories of the plaintiffs in these cases show the emotional and cultural side of what's at stake for same-sex couples. Those of us of a more practical nature, however, might want to know what the economic implications are.

The first point worth noting is that marriage can make a big difference for same-sex couples' financial well-being. A few years ago, two New York Times reporters calculated that even ordinary same-sex couples could lose as much as $500,000 over a lifetime because they can't marry and therefore can't get employers' spousal health insurance, among other disadvantages. As a result, people in same-sex couples are much more likely to be uninsured than are people in different-sex couples. And if the uninsured avoid preventive care or get care they can't pay for, they wind up costing us all. Marriage also helps couples make economic decisions that create both private and social benefits, like investing for retirement, and looking after each other's health.

On the other hand, the fact that governments and employers use marriage to dole out benefits makes some wonder if same-sex marriage equality would come with a price tag for state and federal budgets. For example, Edie Windsor sued the U.S. government because she had to pay $363,000 in federal estate taxes when her wife died, all because their marriage didn't count under federal law. Recognizing her marriage would have meant less money for the government in federal estate tax revenue.

However, more than a decade of research by myself and other economists and analysis by the Congressional Budget Office under the direction of Douglas Holtz-Eakin suggests just the opposite: that state and federal budgets will actually get a positive boost if gay couples are allowed to marry. Any additional state and federal spending on benefits would be outweighed by savings from lower cash assistance and Medicaid spending. Moreover, many same-sex couples would also discover - unhappily, one imagines - the marriage penalty in the federal income tax system, resulting in a likely increase in tax revenue.

And here's something the government might consider in reckoning the bottom line with regard to legalizing gay marriage: Hundreds of thousands of excited couples would start planning weddings, generating at least $1.5 billion, by my calculations, in spending on flowers, cakes, bands, meals, photographers, hotels, tourism in general, suits and gowns (not to mention those one-off gowns for the members of the bridal party). And of course all those purchases generate millions in sales tax revenue for state and local governments.

Those fairly obvious fiscal benefits just scratch the surface of what our economy might have to gain. Big corporations want same-sex couples to be allowed to marry because they believe gay marriage is good for business. Hundreds of employers large and small, including Google, Apple, Verizon, Walt Disney, Viacom, Nike, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft, signed onto two friend-of-the-court briefs related to this week's Supreme Court arguments over challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8. Those employers argued that they want to recruit and retain the most creative and productive workers to make their businesses competitive, and that includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) workers. They want their LGBT employees to be able to focus on their jobs, not on dealing with the stigma and inequality that creates problems for their families.

But businesses can only treat their LGBT employees equally if the law lets them - and these briefs argue that it does not. A gay man who lives in Massachusetts with his husband might not want to transfer to an office in Ohio where his marriage isn't recognized. The Defense of Marriage Act creates administrative nightmares for businesses who must, for example, withhold taxes on the value of a same-sex spouse's health benefits but not those for different-sex spouses. The companies filing these briefs argue that these are burdens on business competitiveness.

The economic ripple effects of gay marriage can spread even further. Some observers, most notably competitiveness guru Richard Florida, argue that tolerant policies and environments - including for gay people - are essential for nurturing creative workers who will drive economic growth. By that reasoning, businesses, cities, states - and maybe even nations - that allow same-sex couples to marry will also send a strong signal to every worker that his or her talent and creativity will be valued.

Admittedly, the same-sex couples challenging California's Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act are probably not thinking about how far their efforts will reach into our economy. However, their short walks down the aisle some day - whether as a result of a Supreme Court decision or the changing tide of public opinion - may well strengthen the very foundations of our economy.
M. V. Lee Badgett is director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and is research director of the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. She was an expert witness in the Proposition 8 trial and is the author of "When Gay People Get Married: What Happens When Societies Legalize Same-sex Marriage?" This entry is cross-posted on the Rundown - NewsHour's blog of news and insight. Follow @PaulSolman

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An economist looks beneath the same-sex marriage debate to the costs incurred by couples who can't marry, by regions that won't let them, and by the economy as a whole. Chris and Renee Wiley pose for a wedding photo on Times Square in New York, December 12, 2012.

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-Promotes Equality and Non-Discrimination in Society

-Promotes Family Stability and Validates LGBT Family Units

-Provides Economic and Business
Opportunities

-Fosters True Freedom of Religion

-Assists With the De-politicization of LGBT
Rights

Strengthens National Identity and
International Reputation

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The legalization of same-sex marriage benefits both LGBT people and America as a nation. As two major Supreme Court decisions about same-sex marriage (Proposition 8 and DOMA) loom on the horizon, it's an opportune time to refocus attention on the many advantages associated with the pursuit and achievement of marriage equaility.

There are at least seven ways in which the legalization of gay marriage is beneficial for LGBT Americans and the United States of America.

1. Promotes Equality and Non-Discrimination in Society Millions of LGBT people contribute daily to American life in a multitude of ways culturally, socially, financially, politically, vocationally, and spiritually. We are fundamental to this nation's continued growth and evolution and the U.S.A. would suffer greatly from the withdrawal of our many contributions. The legalization of same-sex marriage affirms the inherent worthiness of LGBT people as valued American citizens deserving of equal rights under the law.

This promotion of equality and non-discrimination plays an extremely important role in reducing homophobia and in affirming a minority group in society which has for so long endured significant discrimination and stigmatization. Legalizing same-sex marriage communicates to millions of people across the country that gay relationships are of equal value to straight relationships, thereby helping to reduce intergroup prejudice and supporting cultural diversity.
2. Fosters Psychological, Physical, and Social Wellbeing Amongst LGBT People
Same-sex couples are excluded from the institution of marriage in 38 states. Furthermore, the federal government denies legally married same-sex couples more than 1000 federal rights and benefits associated with marriage. This discrimination and institutional exclusion negatively impacts LGBT people in a variety of tangible and practical ways. It can also cause psychological distress, social conflict and ill-health. Equal allocation of marriage rights and benefits to same-sex couples assists LGBT people in a practical sense and the elimination of relationship discrimination helps promote psychosocial and physical well-being.

It is to America's benefit when LGBT people are given the freedom to achieve their full potential in life without having to waste precious time and resources battling for basic equality. The act of discrimination is an essentially destructive societal behavior which, ultimately, brings negative consequences both to the oppressors and the oppressed. Ending discrimination in marriage laws goes some way to correcting this.
3. Promotes Family Stability and Validates LGBT Family Units
Today's children represent America's future and it is in the country's best interest to support their development, regardless of whom they are parented by. Marriage, as an institution, helps to foster the wellbeing of children by providing married couples with various rights, benefits and protections which can strengthen relationship bonds and family units. Around the nation there are millions of children being raised in households led by same-sex couples, many of whom are denied the right to legally marry in their home state.

The denial of equal marriage rights unfairly disadvantages children who are raised by same-sex couples residing in states where gay marriage is not legal or not recognized. This lack of support for LGBT families denies children within them the same type of protections afforded children in "traditional" families headed by married straight couples. It also sends a damaging message to children within LGBT families that their parents are inferior, second-class citizens who are not worthy of equal treatment in society. The legalization of gay marriage helps to address this injustice by supporting family stability and validating the worthiness of families led by same-sex couples.
4. Provides Economic and Business Opportunities
The legalization of same-sex marriage has consistently been shown to provide an economic boost to those states and countries that have embraced marriage equality. The marriage and wedding industry is a significant one. Allowing gay couples to marry provides businesses in this industry with a large and new market to access. Nearly $260 million was injected into the New York City economy in the year following the legalization of same-sex marriage. Gay marriage tourism benefits those regions which permit same-sex marriage by attracting gay couples from other states and countries where it is not legal.

Most large businesses understand the importance of recognizing gay marriage because it enables them to more readily retain LGBT staff and customers. Not surprisingly, an increasing number of national and global companies are now expressing support for marriage equality and speaking out in favor of gay marriage.
5. Fosters True Freedom of Religion
Freedom of religion allows a person or group to pursue the practice of their religion without governmental interference. It also protects those who do not follow a religion by shielding them from being forced to live in accordance with religious beliefs and values they do not agree with. The legalization of same-sex marriage is consistent with freedom of religion in that it removes from marriage laws religious notions that may have initially shaped those laws.

There is no hierarchy of religions in a society which truly honors freedom of religion. Accordingly, the religious views of no one particular group should be given preference in the development of marriage laws. While some religions don't support same-sex marriage, others certainly do support it. The most fair and ethical approach -- which treats all people equally regardless of religious affiliation -- is to factor out religious points of view when crafting marriage laws within a secular context.
6. Assists With the De-politicization of LGBT Rights
The politicization of LGBT rights as a left vs right issue has been one of the many "culture wars" that has plagued American society in recent decades. The battle between pro-equality "liberals" and anti-equality "conservatives" continues to characterize the state by state legalization of same-sex marriage. Democratic politicians have successfully led legislative efforts to legalize gay marriage in nine states. President Obama's support of marriage equality, Bill Clinton's abandonment of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and Democratic voters' support of marriage equality contrast strikingly with the situation on the Republican side. Opposition to same-sex marriage remains a key part of the GOP platform and a majority of Republican politicians and GOP voters do not support marriage equality.

This unfortunate construction of marriage equality as a left vs right and Democratic vs Republican issue wrongly politicizes what is essentially a human rights matter. In this sense the legalization of same-sex marriage plays a central role in de-politicizing the quest for LGBT equality. It provides Democrats and Republicans with an opportunity to refocus their efforts on addressing other problems in society and to stop wasting valuable resources on a manufactured culture war.

7. Strengthens National Identity and International Reputation

"Liberty and justice for all" is a phrase often used in descriptions of the U.S.A. which seek to capture the nation's collective psyche, spirit and identity. Historically, America has presented itself as a global leader in matters of freedom and democracy. It's unfortunate and ironic, however, that back on home soil one particular group of people is consistently denied full access to the "American dream." The fact that same-sex marriage is not legal in thirty-eight states of the U.S.A. and not recognized by the federal government has damaged America's international reputation in relation to LGBT rights.

Fifteen countries have moved ahead of the U.S.A. in providing federal marriage equality. The removal of anti-gay discrimination in all state and federal laws that apply to marriage would play a key role in enhancing America's international reputation in matters of social justice and in restoring our integrity as a global leader in the provision of civil and human rights. The tag of "liberty and justice for all" will become more believable when same-sex couples are granted equal access to marriage laws across the country.

Supreme Court Rulings and Beyond It is with hope and optimism that I anticipate the decisions to be soon made by U.S. Supreme Court in relation to Proposition 8 and DOMA. The sincere hope for equality advocates is that both laws will be struck down, that same-sex marriage will become legal in California once again, and that the federal government will no longer be allowed to deny rights and benefits to legally married same-sex couples.

It is time to stop playing politics and to stop "debating" whether LGBT Americans should have equal rights in society and whether same-sex relationships should be valued equally under the law. Allowing same-sex couples to marry harms no one. Conversely, it enhances the lives of millions of LGBT Americans and their families and also benefits broader society economically, cuturally, and politically. I look forward to the day when the provision of marriage equality is embraced and valued as a core feature of American culture and when "we the people" can rightly be claimed to include everyone.
Murray Lipp is the Administrator of Gay Marriage USA on Facebook.(Photos by Murray Lipp, 3/27/13, Washington D.C.)

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7 Ways the U.S.A. Benefits From the Legalization of Gay Marriage

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The legalization of same-sex marriage benefits both LGBT people and America as a nation. As two major Supreme Court decisions about same-sex marriage (Proposition 8 and DOMA) loom on the horizon, it's an opportune time to refocus attention on the many advantages associated with the pursuit and achievement of marriage equaility.

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Who: Women and Men of all race and culture.

What: Recognition of relationships, discrimination, adoption, gender identification, etc.

Where: Around the world

When: Going on right now as well as in the past and the soon fut

Why: So men and women of the same sex can be treated as an equal.

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LGBT rights in the United States - Wikipedia

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Civil rights for LGBT people in the United States are advocated by a variety of organizations at all levels and concentrations of political and legal life, including the Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.