2. Changing attitudes
• In Pew Research polling in 2001, Americans
opposed same-sex marriage by a 57% to 35%
margin.
• Today, there is more support for same-sex
marriage than opposition to it. Combined
data from two 2013 polls show 50% of
Americans in favor and 43% opposed
3. For
• Most supporters of same-sex marriage contend that
gay and lesbian couples should be treated no
differently than their heterosexual counterparts
and that they should be able to marry like anyone
else. Beyond wanting to uphold the legal principles
of non-discrimination and equal treatment,
supporters say there are very practical reasons
behind the fight for what they call “marriage
equality.” They point out, for instance, that same-
sex couples who have been together for years, if
not decades, often find themselves without the
basic rights and privileges that are currently
enjoyed by heterosexual couples who legally
marry – from the sharing of health and pension
benefits to hospital visitation rights.
4. conservative
• Most social conservatives and others who oppose
same-sex marriage argue that marriage between a
man and a woman is the bedrock of a healthy
society because it leads to stable families and,
ultimately, to children who grow up to be
productive adults. Allowing gay and lesbian couples
to wed, they contend, will radically redefine
marriage and further weaken it at a time when the
institution is already in serious trouble due to high
divorce rates and a significant and growing number
of out-of-wedlock births. Moreover, many predict
that giving gay couples the right to marry will
ultimately lead to granting people in polygamous
and other non-traditional relationships the right
to marry as well.
5. Religion
• The American religious community is deeply divided over
the issue of same-sex marriage. The Catholic Church, the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and many
evangelical Christian groups, such as the Southern Baptist
Convention, have played a leading role in public
opposition to gay marriage. On the other side, the Reform
and Conservative Jewish movements now accept same-sex
marriage – as do a number of liberal Christian churches,
such as the United Church of Christ.
• Meanwhile, mainline Protestant churches are wrestling
with whether to ordain gay clergy and perform same-
sex wedding ceremonies. Indeed, the ordination and
marriage of gay persons has been a growing wedge
between the socially liberal and conservative wings
6. Introduction of gay marriage
A growing number of governments around the world
are considering whether to grant legal recognition to
same-sex marriages. More than a dozen countries
currently have national laws allowing gays and
lesbians to marry, mostly in Europe and the Americas. In
two other countries, including the United States, some
jurisdictions allow same-sex couples to wed, while
others do not.
The following is a list of nations that allow same-sex
marriage, either nationwide or in certain jurisdictions.
Countries That Allow Gay Marriage
7. Countries that allow gay
marriage
• Argentina (2010)
• Denmark (2012)
• New Zealand (2013)
• Spain (2005)
• Belgium (2003)
• Norway (2009)
• Sweden (2009)
• Brazil (2013)
• Iceland (2010)
• Portugal (2010)
• Uruguay (2013)
• Canada (2005)
• The Netherlands (2000)
• South Africa (2006)
• France (2013)
• In france a catholic country the introduction of gay marriage
was extremely controversial.
