Same-sex marriage and LGBT rights

Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is marriage between people of the same sex, either
as a secular civil ceremony or in a religious setting. The Oxford English Dictionary has recognized
same-sex marriage since 2000.

Same-Sex Marriage in the World Today

As of May 5, 2017, 21 out of 194 countries allow same-sex couples to marry nationwide. The world's
first legal gay marriage ceremony took place in the Netherlands on Apr. 1, 2001, just after midnight.
The four couples, one female and three male, were married in a televised ceremony officiated by the
mayor of Amsterdam. In addition to the Netherlands, gay marriage is legal nationwide in Belgium
(2003), Spain (2005), Canada (2005), South Africa (2006), Norway (2009), Sweden (2009), Argentina
(2010), Iceland (2010), Portugal (2010), Denmark (2012), Uruguay (2013), New Zealand (2013),
Brazil (2013), France (2013), Luxembourg (2014), Finland (2014), Ireland (2015), the United States
(2015), Colombia (2016), and Bermuda (2017). Same-sex marriage is legal in some jurisdictions of
Mexico and the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, and Wales, but no Northern Ireland).
On June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage is a right protected by the US
Constitution in all 50 states. Prior to their decision, same-sex marriage was already legal in 37 states
and Washington DC, but was banned in the remaining 13. US public opinion had shifted significantly
over the years, from 27% approval of gay marriage in 1996 to 60% in 2015, according to Gallup.
Proponents of legal gay marriage contend that gay marriage bans are discriminatory and
unconstitutional, and that same-sex couples should have access to all the benefits enjoyed by
different-sex couples.
Opponents contend that marriage has traditionally been defined as being between one man and one
woman, and that marriage is primarily for procreation.

Recognition in Peru
On September 12, 2013, Peruvian Congressman Carlos Bruce filed a draft bill proposal on same-sex
civil unions. The bill proposed the creation of a new category under which same-sex couples could
register and legalize their relationships. The idea was to grant rights which Peruvian heterosexual
couples enjoysuch as social security, inheritance rights, and medical visit rightsto homosexual
couples. Despite that it wasnt approved.
In recent times, Congressmen Carlos Bruce and Alberto de Belaunde, from the center-right party
Peruvians for Change, reintroduced a civil union bill in Congress in late November 2016. The bill
bears the signatures of various politicians.
On 14 February 2017, a bill legalizing same-sex marriage was introduced in the Peruvian Congress.
The bill is sponsored by Indira Huilca, Marisa Glave, among others. The proposal seeks to alter Article
234 of the Civil Code to define marriage as "the union voluntarily agreed upon by two persons legally
able to do so".
Finally, in a ruling published on January 9, 2017, the 7th Constitutional Court of Lima ordered the
RENIEC to recognize and register the marriage of a same-sex couple, Oscar Ugarteche and Fidel
Aroche, who had previously wed in Mexico City. Nevertheless, RENIEC has stated it will appeal the
ruling, therefore the Superior Court of Justice of Lima will review the case.
Top Pro & Con Arguments
PRO
Denying some people the option to marry is
discriminatory and creates a second class
of citizens.
Same-sex couples should have access to
the same benefits enjoyed by heterosexual
married couples.
The concept of "traditional marriage" has
changed over time, and the definition of
marriage as always being between one
man and one woman is historically
inaccurate.
Gay marriage is protected by the US
Constitution's commitments to liberty and
equality.
Marriage is an internationally recognized
human right for all people.
Same-sex marriage is a civil right.
Marriage is not only for procreation,
otherwise infertile couples or couples not
wishing to have children would be
prevented from marrying.
Gay marriages can bring financial gain to
federal, state, and local governments and
can help boost the economy.
Gay couples make good parents.
Gay marriage bans cause humiliation and
uncertainty for children being raised by
same-sex couples.
Marriage provides both physical and
psychological health benefits, and banning
gay marriage increases rates of
psychological disorders.
Legalizing gay marriage will not harm the
institution of marriage, and same-sex
marriages may even be more stable than
heterosexual marriages.
Gay marriage legalization is correlated with
lower divorce rates, while gay marriage
bans are correlated with higher divorce
rates.
Legal marriage is a secular institution that
should not be limited by religious objections
to same-sex marriage.
CON
The institution of marriage has traditionally
been defined as being between a man and
a woman.
Marriage is for procreation and should not
be extended to same-sex couples because
they cannot produce children together.
Children need both a mother and a father.
Legalizing gay marriage could lead down a
"slippery slope," giving people in
polygamous, incestuous, bestial, and other
nontraditional relationships the right to
marry.
Allowing gay couples to wed could further
weaken the institution of marriage.
Homosexuality is immoral and unnatural.
Gay marriage is contrary to the word of God
and is incompatible with the beliefs, sacred
texts, and traditions of many religious
groups.
Legalizing gay marriage often leads to an
end to domestic partnership benefits for gay
and straight couples, which disadvantages
couples who choose not to get married.
Gay marriage will accelerate the
assimilation of gays into mainstream
heterosexual culture to the detriment of the
homosexual community.
Marriage is an outmoded, oppressive
institution that should be weakened, not
expanded.
People should not have their tax dollars
used to support something they believe is
wrong.
Marriage is a privilege, not a right.
Legalizing gay marriage advances the
"homosexual agenda" and unfairly paints
opponents as bigots.
Civil unions and domestic partnerships can
provide the protections and benefits gay
couples need without changing the
definition of marriage.