Gay Marriage in the discrimiNation

I hate to break it to you all, but the law actually brought more to marriage than God did: one-thousand, one-hundred-thirty-eight benefits.

Strangely, the law didn’t bring the same benefits to alternative forms of partnership such as Civil Unions, Domestic Partnerships and Cohabitation (all essentially the same thing). Sure, they invented such partnerships because theists and atheists alike didn’t want to be affiliated with what some consider a “religious” contract, but when they took the religion out they took out most of the irreligious benefits as well.

One of the biggest differences between these civil partnerships and marriage is the sheer fact that marriage is a federal bound contract valid in all 50 states. Civil partnerships are only valid in the state you were issued your contract. You are legally a stranger to the person you’ve devoted your life to the second you cross state borders. Additionally, domestic partnerships are state legislated and come with different rights or none at all (some states don't offer domestic partnerships). That said, marriage rights are universal throughout the country.

So, let’s talk about some of those one-thousand, one-hundred-thirty-eight benefits.

The first thing most people think of when it comes to marriage benefits are the tax breaks. Because Civil Unions are not recognized by the federal government it is impossible for domestic partners to file taxes together. Domestic partners are also ineligible for marriage tax bonuses.

Medically, marriage offers some of the most desirable benefits including being able to provide health insurance to your partner. This is also available in domestic partnerships however is not guaranteed. Insurance companies are not legally required to recognize your civil partnership.

Aside from health insurance, marriage makes it so you can make medical decisions for when your partner cannot, visit your partner in hospital (and prison), take sick leave when your partner falls ill, and have access to your partner’s medical records, amongst countless of other things. Additionally, if your wife or husband passes away while married, you retain the right to determine burial, obtain bereavement leave, receive automatic inheritance, and benefit from a Wrongful Death claim.

Domestic or civil partnerships only allow some of the above mentioned benefits--all with qualifications. For example, you may visit your domestic partner in hospital during visitor hours but you may not be in the room or stay overnight with them if they are severely ill or facing death. You may take sick and bereavement leave for an ill or deceased domestic partner, but you are not qualified to make their medical decisions, do not have access to their medical records, cannot determine burial and do not receive automatic inheritance. And as stated before, you only have these rights in the state you were issued your civil contract so, no getting hurt out of state!

Some other marriage benefits that civil unions do not share are immigration rights, unquestionable custody over children, access to military stores, reduced rate memberships, joint bankruptcy, and Veteran's discounts.

And yet people still say "well, gay people have their civil unions--why do they have to get married?"

Hah.

Most of the arguments behind gay marriage opposers are religious in context and without point. They're based on what they read in the Holy Bible, homophobic scare tactics, and their refusal to modify their views on "family values." And yet Atheists (like myself) and Agnostics are allowed to get married too. Why aren't they forcefully segregated out of society, given a dunce cap, and told to go get "Civil-Unioned?"

But if it is about religious beliefs and taking offense to the acceptance of people who aren't accepted by their religion, what does that have to do with the law? Let's go back to 1802 for a moment and look at a portion of a letter written by Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution goes into further detail regarding such matters. Unfortunately, there still has yet to be a formal recognition of what marriage is to the US Government. Is it a religious ceremony between two loving people bound by God in Holy Matrimony, or is it a contract of devotion between two loving people bound by the federal government in agreeance to share their lives and assets? Can it be both?

Come on, federal government. It is up to you to answer these questions. If marriage is Holy Matrimony, then you are holding religion on a higher pedestal than non-religion (a violation of the First Amendment). If marriage is simply a federal contract, then let religious couples define their marriage as Holy Matrimony but do not discriminate against approximately 1.2 million US citizens who still cannot benefit from this document.

Sources:

http://gaylife.about.com/od/samesexmarriage/a/benefits.htm

http://gaylife.about.com/od/samesexmarriage/a/civilunion.htm

http://gaylife.about.com/od/samesexmarriage/a/domesticpartner.htm

http://lesbianlife.about.com/cs/wedding/a/unionvmarriage.htm

http://www.avert.org/gay-people.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state