Same-sex Marriages
Some marriages involve homosexuals rather than heterosexuals. A same-sex marriage is a marriage between two people who identify as the same gender or sex. Views on same-sex marriages in the U.S. have begun to substantially change only in the past few decades. The majority of people have defined marriage as specifically between a man and a woman, but society has become more tolerant of same-sex couples. People who have supported same-sex marriage have stated that a person’s sexual orientation should have nothing to do with whether or not they get certain rights. They have argued that letting same-sex couples marry will make the individuals healthier overall. Those who have opposed same-sex marriage have said that it threatens religion and ruins the traditional view of marriage that, for the most part, worldwide society has historically embraced.
Thirty-one states have passed constitutional amendments restricting marriage to being between one man and one woman. Voters in Arizona (2006) and Minnesota (2012) voted on such amendments but rejected them. Meanwhile, twelve states have passed marriage equality (equal right to marriage for homosexual and heterosexual people), with Minnesota's Governor Mark Dayton signing equal marriage into law on May 14, 2013.
Read more about this topic: Marriage In The United States, Same-sex Marriage
Famous quotes containing the word marriages:
“If marriages were made by putting all the men’s names into one sack and the women’s names into another, and having them taken out by a blindfolded child like lottery numbers, there would be just as high a percentage of happy marriages as we have here in England.... If you can tell me of any trustworthy method of selecting a wife, I shall be happy to make use of it.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)