Human rights and equality
A. Full faith and credit clause: The full faith and credit clause as specified in Article four of the US constitution requires states to respect judicial proceedings, records and public acts from different acts.
This means that they should be given the same credit and faith that they possessed in the same courts or states that they were created. Since some states recognize same sex marriages then other states ought to respect decisions made outside their boundaries based on the full faith and credit clause.
B. 14th amendment: The first section of the 14th amendment states that all people born in the US and governed by the US jurisdiction shall be protected from any state laws that will undermine their immunities and privileges.
That law also states that all people shall not be denied liberties without due process. Marriage for same sex couples forms part of these liberties and privileges mentioned in the fourteenth amendment. Banning gay marriages therefore contradicts this clause and denies same sex couples equal protection under the law.
C. Same rights as heterosexuals: homosexuals deserve the same rights that heterosexuals enjoy because outlawing their unions is tantamount to discrimination. Many lesbians and gays are not accorded the same civil rights that heterosexual couples enjoy.
Any two consenting adults should be granted the right to marry because the same principle operates in heterosexual unions. In fact, prohibiting gay marriages imposes a kind of special disability on homosexuals who cannot fully enjoy their lives like other couples can.
Religion
A. Outdated excerpts from the bible: many opponents of gay marriages claim that gay marriages should not be legalized because they go against Christian or biblical teachings. They believe that the bible treats same sex relationships as sinful.
However, these opponents are relying on outdated excerpts. The bible itself tolerates incest in certain circumstances and even fully accepts polygamy yet these very unions are unacceptable in the Christian community today.
Consequently, same sex opponents need to realize that the definition of marriage is changing and should not be governed by such a traditional document which is never wholly applied by those very Christians.
B. Not everyone is of the same religion: When people oppose gay marriages based on religious premises then they are basically saying that everyone in the country holds the same religious views.
The country has so many atheists so it is quite unfair to subject them to values that they do not adhere to. Marriage is a cultural rather than a religious institution.
C. God loves and accepts all: If Christians strongly believe in the teachings of the bible then the God described in the bible should be able to love and accept everyone regardless of their preferences and values. Shouldn’t God accept all his people and let them be happy regardless of whether they are sinners or not?
Family life
Adoption rates: Adoption rates have gone up after gays were allowed to adopt children. This is definitely a good thing for society because it has been shown that children’s psychological and physical well being greatly improves when they grow up in a family unit.
Research has also shown that there are minimal differences in children’s outcomes when children grow up with heterosexual or homosexual parents. Because of this, gay marriages should be accepted.
Promotion of equality and acceptance in gay families: Families are the foundation upon which societies are built so if gay marriages are promoted then they will solidify communities by offering children important values such as equality and acceptance.
Financial stability for gay couples: Gay couples suffer tremendously during medical crises because they cannot offer insurance for their partners and may have to rely on family members. They also have to pay more in terms of insurance unless their employers fall in the minority 18% that accord gays insurance benefits.
They also, lack power of attorney, inheritance rights and pay more taxes even if they live with each other for decades. Failure to acknowledge same sex marriages therefore leads to financial instability in same sex relationships.