¶ … gay and lesbian individuals should be allowed to legally marry. Same-sex marriage has been made legal in nine states (as of November, 2012). However, "Between 1998 and 2006, twenty-seven states amended their constitutions to prohibit same sex marriage" (Salka, et al., 2012). Clearly this is a contentious issue in America. Thesis: same-sex marriage should be legal in the United States because to continue to deny gay and lesbian couples the right to be legally married is a discriminatory practice which goes against the Constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process in the 5th and 14th Amendments. Argument: The polling that has taken place over the past year in America clearly shows that the majority of citizens support same-sex marriage. When attitudes change in America in such dramatic fashion as the attitudes have changed regarding same-sex marriage, it makes a powerful statement to the courts. A CBS News poll taken the week of March 25-31, 2013, showed that 53% of American adults now support "legal marriages for same-sex couples" (Kopicki, 2013). In July, 2012, a CBS-New York Times poll showed just 46% in favor of same-sex marriage.

Meanwhile there are many good reasons (beyond public opinion) as to why the concept of "marriage equality" should apply to everyone regardless of gender. Marriage is not just a religious institution -- it is technically a civil institution. Couples don't have to learn catechism or join a particular religious denomination to get married; they can find a justice of the peace or an ordained minister of any faith and conduct a ceremony making them legally wedded -- unless they are gay or lesbian. Hence, the views of religious leaders (Roman Catholics, Southern Baptists, et al.) are non-binding on the civil institution of marriage and the High Court should remove the legal barriers and treat all couples equally without discrimination based on gender.

Moreover, same sex marriage should be legal because: a) the "due process" clause of the 5th Amendment (no person shall "…be...

LaFleur, the U.S. Supreme Court wrote that "…freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage and family life is one of the liberties protected by the Due Process Clause" (ProCon.org); d) denying same-sex couples the right to be legally married presents the children of same-sex couples with an unnecessary second-class citizen stigma; e) recognizing the rights of same-sex couples gives them access to basic rights heterosexual couples enjoy: hospital visitation rights; taxation and inheritance rights; access to health insurance coverage based on family policies, etc.; and f) same-sex marriage will open the door to adoption for gay and lesbian couples; presently there are over 100,000 children waiting to be adopted in the U.S.
Finally, in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Public Health, a study involving 35,608 gay, lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual individuals (by the California Health Interview Survey) revealed that same-sex married couples were "…significantly less distressed than same sex couples that were "…not in a legally recognized relationship" (Wight, et al., 2013).

Counter Thesis and Counter Argument: Thesis: Marriage has traditionally been a contract between a man and a woman, and homosexuals do already enjoy existing rights under same-sex union arrangements in many states; hence, same sex marriage…