Should Marriage for Same Sex Couples be Legal?

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When people are blocked from the legal protections that help keep a lifelong promise to someone they’ve chosen to take care of for life, they often feel they have to move to another state, and that’s bad for their families, friends, and is even bad for business in the state.  Most parents would like to have their grown children nearby, so it’s easier to see each other, participate together in important holidays and other family events, and have a stronger system of support for all.  Some grown children who would rather stay in their home state have to reconsider when they find, because they are in a same-sex relationship, that they cannot get the legal protections to best support their responsibility to take care of a partner.  Far too many parents have had to watch their grown children leave their home state because of the exclusion from marriage.  Far too many good friends have had the same experience of saying goodbye to people they had hoped would share their lives, including both the joy of good times and mutual support for the bad times. 

The exclusion from marriage also impairs the ability of employers, large and small, to attract and retain the most comprehensive pool of talented and committed employees.  Current and prospective employees place a value on whether they live in a place that supports their commitment to take care of and be responsible for a loved one.  They often will make their employment decisions based on whether the state respects that value.

And the marriage exclusion can be bad for business in other ways.  For instance, same-sex couples are increasingly avoiding tourist destinations in states that bar them legal protections, and national membership organizations and multi-state employers have begun to consider policies that avoid siting conventions/conferences/meetings in states where some members or employers may not feel that they are adequately safe as a legal matter (see the “safety scale” below).