Overview

Same-sex marriage is a sharply divisive issue in the United States. Yet in the twenty-first century, cities and states across the nation are beginning to make available a range of legal options for same-sex couples who want to make a commitment to each other. These options include domestic partnership, civil union, and marriage. Advocates in favor of legal marriage point to the many benefits that come with the institution of marriage: tax advantages, adoption and inheritance rights, health-care protections, and general social recognition. Opponents, on the other hand, believe that marriage is an institution reserved for one man and one woman. Making sense of the debate involves asking tough questions: - Do all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation, have a right to legal marriage? - What are the benefits and disadvantages of allowing same-sex couples to marry? - Does same-sex marriage threaten or strengthen families? - Should U.S. courts or the American voting public make the final determination about same-sex marriage? To answer these questions, this book examines the history of the gay rights movement in the United States and the struggle for equal protection under the law, including the right for same-sex couples to marry. It provides the opinions and perspectives of leaders, activists, politicians, and ordinary Americans on both sides of the issue. Supplemented with quotes, anecdotes, and discussions from the pages of USA TODAY, The Nation's No. 1 Newspaper, this book will broaden your understanding of all sides of the issue and help you form your own opinion, either for or against same-sex marriage.

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9780761364351

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In the USA Today's Debate: Voices and Perspectives series, hot topics are sure to invite passionate discussion on all sides, especially since the arguments pro and con are rooted in today's headlines even as they hearken back to the Constitution and landmark historical events. Gun Control begins with the 2011 shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords that rekindled the debate about the Second Amendment: Where should the government draw the line between individual rights and public safety? Do guns in society make us safer or put us in danger? With the discussion of past events, including Columbine and the assassinations of President Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one major question emerges about changing gun technology: Is the Second Amendment outdated? With many full-color photos of happy gay families, Same-Sex Marriage debates marriage as a civil right and a religious issue, going back through the history of the gay rights struggle, including arguments against from conservative Christians, and making connections with the changing roles of men and women, as well as the significant legal benefits of marriage and adoption. Drawing heavily on USA Today's accessible journalism, the highly readable format, with clear type, photos, and screened quotes, includes chapter notes, a bibliography, annotated websites, and organizations to contact for more information. --Booklist --Journal

Author Information

Tricia Andryszewski is the author of more than 20 nonfiction books for children and young adults. In addition, since 2004 she has been closely following and writing (as Tricia Shapiro) about efforts to end strip mining for coal in Appalachia, particularly the ongoing nonviolent civil-disobedience campaigns against mountaintop removal mining. A native of Pittsburgh, she now lives on a remote mountain homestead in western North Carolina, near the Tennessee border.

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