America Needs Same-sex Marriage

On May 7, 2011, a young man named Tom Bridegroom fell to his death from a rooftop, leaving behind his devastated partner of six years, Shane Bitney Crone. Tom’s family had never accepted his relationship with Shane; in fact, members of Tom’s family attacked and threatened him when he told them he was gay. Because Shane and Tom could not legally marry, Shane was not entitled to any information regarding Tom’s death, memorial service, or burial arrangements (Crone). Tom’s family was able to move Tom’s body without notifying Shane, to keep Shane away from the memorial service, and to remove from Tom and Shane’s shared home any personal belongings that Tom’s family determined had belonged to Tom. Despite building a life together over the course of six years and even purchasing a home together, Tom and Shane had none of the protections provided by marriage. Without a marriage, their relationship was, in the eyes of the law, that of roommates.

There are approximately nine million individuals in the United States who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, and the majority of them aren’t able to legally marry in the state in which they reside (“Statistics and Facts About Gay or Lesbian Marriage”). Same-sex marriage is only legal in 16 states and the District of Columbia. Despite the majority of American citizens approving the legalization of homosexual marriage, it is either against state law or banned by state constitution in 33 states. Only one state, New Mexico, has no laws that either explicitly ban or allow same-sex marriage (“Same Sex Marriage Fast Facts”). As the residents of the 16 states that have legalized same-sex marriage can attest, numerous advantages coincide with the approval of homosexual marriage, and not j...

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