Let’s Talk About DOMA…

The Defense of Marriage Act was passed in 1996 and stated that gay and lesbian couples would not be recognized as spouses under federal law. This means that they, not only, could not receive any joint federal benefits, but if their significant other was in the hospital they did not have hospital visitation rights. If their spouse died, they had no legal claim to anything. But now that DOMA has been repealed, gay and lesbian couples can receive those benefits, but how will this work in states where marriage for gay and lesbian couples isn’t legal? I’m not sure how that’ll work.

My personal opinion of same-sex marriage is that it is, just that, a marriage. We don’t call marriages between heterosexual persons, different-sex marriage because now that just sound dumb. Gay and lesbian couples getting married does not affect my future marriage. My best friend in the entire world is gay and when I found out I was upset. And it wasn’t about him being gay at all. I thought about all the hardships he would have to overcome because of the world we live in. I support same-sex marriage because I can’t think of any reason not to do so. A couple of straight people who met 5 minutes ago can go to the courthouse and get married, but a faithful, committed gay or lesbian couple can’t. Does that make any sense at all?

My hope is that the repeal of DOMA will encourage other states to legalize gay marriage and that it will make it easier for same-sex couples to adopt. I learned in my developmental psychology class that kids of heterosexual couples and same-sex couples have essentially the same outcomes. Which is interesting because many people state reason they are against same-sex marriages is because of the effects on the children… I ask what effects? They probably grow up more open minded and with less stereotypical views of gender roles. Hmmm… raising boys and girls that actually believe that they can do and be anything they want. That sounds like a good thing to me.