The United States Constitution states that all citizens are entitled to enjoy equal rights in this country.
How is it that many legislatures and other legal professionals, forget about gay rights when writing laws and enforcing those that are already on the books?
Many times, judges also fail to think about gay rights when they decide on cases.
Unfortunately, many citizens that enjoy all of the rights afforded by the U.S. Constitution, also forget about gay rights when they try to preserve the “sanctity of marriage” by denying same-sex relationships any recognition at all.
The right to have a relationship legally recognized is one right that is not currently equal for all U.S. citizens in all states.
While some states legally allow for civil union, gay marriage, or domestic partnerships, the rights conferred through the legal recognition of those relationships, vary greatly from state to state.
In fact, couples that receive legal recognition of their relationship in one state, lose that if they move to a state with no legal recognition. In fact, it is not certain states that violate gay marriage rights, but all of them since there is no shared recognition in place.
In order to attain equal rights, same-sex couples must be able to have their relationship legally recognized, no matter where they live in the country. Gay marriage rights should be equal to those attained by opposite-sex couples.
Otherwise, there is no such thing as equal rights. Domestic partnerships, same-sex marriages, and civil unions should all be considered equal to marriage.
There are no fundamental reasons for forbidding gay marriage rights. There are intense debates about gay rights, and many times people forget that all citizens are entitled to equal rights.
In addition to legal recognition, couples must also have access to the rights conferred through marriage.
Equal rights include gay marriage rights through recognition, and also the rights attained through recognition of the relationship. In fact, same-sex couples that are unable to receive legal recognition, have many other rights violated as well.
In the absence of legal recognition, couples cannot be entitled to any of the rights or responsibilities conferred upon a married couple.
Same-sex couples may not be able to own joint property or to open joint bank accounts. In addition, couples may be unable to legally inherit a property in the event of death.
In fact, many surviving partners have been evicted from the property they shared with their partners. In this case, the individual has no legal recourse unless their relationship was legally recognized. Gay marriage rights must be equal to the rights conferred to opposite-sex couples in all ways.
Many lawmakers, citizens, and Judges often forget about gay rights when deciding on legal actions and legal recognition. In fact, many members of the LGBT feel that they are treated with discrimination by the very people that are meant to protect their rights.
