- Question
What are the views on the legalization of gay marriage?
To be denied the opportunity to marry is to be locked out of one of life’s main identity-defining rituals. Marriage is both an expressive and legal act but for many same-sex couples around the world, it is not an option. Should our legal definition of marriage be expanded to include same-sex couples?
Gay marriage should be legalized
This position holds that gay marriage should be legalised. It argues that same-sex couples deserve the same rights as heterosexual ones, that marriage is a fundamental right and its definition has always evolved, and that withholding it amounts to discrimination.
Same-sex couples should be allowed to enter civil unions
Civil unions or partnerships are catch-all terms to describe the formal legal recognition of a relationship but without necessarily granting the full marital rights or label of marriage.
Gay marriage should be illegal
This position argues that gay marriage should be illegal. It holds that recognising same-sex unions would undermine the fidelity and institution of marriage, and that homosexuality conflicts with many religious beliefs—a stance opposed by LGBTQ rights advocates.
It is an irrelevant debate
This position holds that the debate over legalising gay marriage is irrelevant. It argues that marriage should not be a legal matter at all — that, on a religious view, only God determines the legitimacy of a marriage, so the state's recognition of it misses the point.