During 2015, the Supreme Court rightly decided that same-sex marriage is an inalienable constitutional right. Their 5-4 vote in “Obergefell v. Hodges” legalized gay marriage across the United States, and the decision was hailed as a major victory for civil rights activists. This monumental shift in the law has induced countless individual and collective benefits. Let’s take a look at how civilization has been positively impacted by this ruling:
Economic Stimulation
Weddings are incredibly costly events, and there are countless expenses associated with matrimonial vows. During times of widespread economic strife, it is always good when people feel encouraged to spend money. Now that a whole class of people have access to this previously prohibited celebration, they are pouring cash into planning extravagant ceremonies. This money directly stimulates the entire economy during a tenuous financial recovery. It’s a win-win deal!
Tax Breaks
Same-sex couples can now receive the same tax rates of their heterosexual counterparts. Once again, this leaves more money in the hands of consumers, and this increases spending across the country. Domestic partnerships were formerly deprived of these savings from the IRS, and this sometimes increased their dependency on public assistance. Because gay unions are entitled to keep their money like everyone else, the need for welfare has started to go down.
Expanded Access to Health Insurance
A lot of employers provide insurance to their workers’ spouses, but homosexual couples couldn’t apply for these benefits based on their lack of a formal marital status. After the Obergefell ruling, thousands of people were able to start receiving medical care. As such, civilization became healthier as a whole. Plus, gay and lesbian couples are no longer denied the right to visit their loved ones in the hospital!
Increased Census Accuracy
In the past, domestic partnerships were not reflected properly in the census. A lot of people couldn’t declare their married status prior to legalization, so the country’s citizenship count has been skewed until now. As it stands, the 2020 Census will be the first one to accurately reflect the number of marriages in the United States.
Improved Conditions for Families with Children
Gay couples already had the right to adopt in many regions, but same-sex spouses couldn’t receive the same kinds of government assistance that heterosexual unions were granted. This created a situation where children wrongly suffered based on the household they grew up in. Luckily, this kind of discrimination has ceased, and now all homes that have kids are treated more or less the same.
Marriage Licenses are Now Valid Nationally
During the decade prior to the Obergefell case, many states legalized gay marriage within their borders. Unfortunately, the validity of these unions had not been recognized by states that implemented bans on the practice. Today, it is no longer legal to deny a certified marriage license or the rights it enshrines!
Expansion of Liberty
Americans pride themselves on living in a free country, so it should always be celebrated when more freedoms are granted to the population. Meanwhile, no one is losing anything except for the ability to discriminate. Opponents of gay marriage use religious liberty to combat same-sex marriage, but sexual and economic liberties are treated with higher reverence by the U.S. Constitution!
John Keefe is an avid blogger and professional Wedding Officiant in Oklahoma City. John is passionate about sharing information online through his blogs, on youtube, and provides local marriage services in OKC to his local community with Lifelong Wedding Ceremonies Wedding Officiants.