Political Message

Nearly a quarter century ago, Denmark broke down barriers to become the first nation to legally recognize same-sex couples through registered partnerships. Same-sex marriage is currently legally recognized nationwide in eleven nations – Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Sweden (The Economist, 2012). In the United States, the decision is made at the state level. After the 2012 elections, there are now nine states (Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington) and the District of Columbia who permit legally binding marriages between same-sex couples (The Economist, 2012). The Working Group, appointed by the APA Council of Representatives, stated “The APA recognizes the importance of the institution of civil marriage which confers a social status with important legal benefits, rights and privileges (APA, 2004).”
Stassen and Bates (2010) surveyed couples, both homosexual and heterosexual, on what words define marriage. In the surveys, the biggest theme, with 79%, was that marriage is “contractual.” Another major theme was the idea of “love” as being an important part of a marriage – almost half of the respondents agreed. Additionally in the surveys respondents were asked about their stance on same-sex marriage – over half, 55%, were against a same-sex marriage but acknowledged the loving bond that comes from the relationship. Card (2007) contends that “the laws should no more declare which durable intimate sexual unions between freely consenting adults are legitimate and which are not than it should declare which newborns are legitimate and which are not.” The language of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) does not specify the genders of the partners – “Man and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality, or religion, have the right to marry and found and family. They are entitled to equal rights as to

References: House of Commons of Canada (February 17, 2012). Bill C-32. An act to amend the Civil Marriage Act. 1st Session, 41st Parliament, 60-61 Elizabeth II, 2011-2012. Retrieved from http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Docid=5395919&file=4. Landau, Elizabeth (June 7, 2012). Denied divorce, some same-sex couples ‘wed-locked’. CNN.com. Retrieved February 22, 2013 from http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/07/living/same-sex-divorce-marriage. Murn C. (2012). Divorce hypocrisy. Humanist [serial online]. 72(1), 10-11. Retrieved February 10, 2013 from http://search.proquest.com/docview/915259830?accountid=33473 Sackin, Erica (September 2006) Smith, Tovia (July 20, 2011). Gay divorce a higher hurdle than marriage. National Public Radio. Retrieved January 26, 2013 from http://www.npr.org/2011/07/20/137674268/gay-divorce-a-higher-hurdle-than-marriage. Stark, Tracey L. (2011). Abolish marriage! A fourteen-point manifesto. Kennedy School Review, 11, 216-217. Retrieved February 9, 2013 from EBSCO Host. Stassen, Heather and Bates, Benjamin (2010). Constructing marriage: Exploring marriage as an ideograph. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication. Vol. 2, No. 1, 1-5. Retrieved February 2, 2013 from EBSCO Host. The Economist (November 17, 2012). To have and to hold. The Economist Newspaper Limited, London, U.K. Thorson, L. (2009). Same-sex divorce and Wisconsin courts: Imperfect harmony? Marquette Law Review, 92(3), 617-649. Retrieved April 4, 2013 from EBSCO Host. Universal Declaration of Rights (1948). Article 16, Section 1. Retrieved on February 14, 2013 from http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml.