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 Even after voters struck
down California's same-sex marriage law, several more states
have legalized it or are considering doing so.
As you probably know, the issue
of same-sex marriage -- giving men the right to marry men and
women the right to marry women -- is an issue about which many
people feel strongly. In recent years, several states have tackled
the issue in their courts, legislatures, or by having people
vote on it. Massachusetts, in 2004, and Connecticut, in 2008,
gave same-sex voters the right to marry. California legalized
it in 2008, but the law was overturned by voters in the November
elections. But just in the last few weeks, two more states, Iowa
and Vermont, have legalized same-sex marriage. Now, New York
looks as though it may be the fifth state to make same-sex marriage
legal. Earlier this month, New York Governor David Paterson said
he will propose a "marriage equality" bill for his
state's legislature. Mr. Paterson says same-sex marriage is a
civil rights issue, meaning, it is a basic right that everyone
should have. "The time has come to bring marriage equality
to the state of New York," he said. Do you agree that
the right to marry should be a civil right?
The nation remains very divided
on the subject of same-sex marriage, although some polls show
that the percent of people that accept the idea is slowly going
up. Some people believe that while same-sex couples should not
be able to get married in a church or have the full rights of
married couples, they should have some sort of rights legally
as a couple. This is sometimes called a civil union. An April
poll by CBS showed that six in 10 Americans think some sort of
legal recognition should be given to same-sex couples, and one-third
support gay marriage outright. In 2004, only 22 percent supported
gay marriage. What do you think? Do you think same-sex marriage
should be legal? If not, do you think same-sex couples should
get some rights through civil unions?
 
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