Why should we allow gay marriage or any marriage for that matter?

Because if people want to honor their love with official commitment... then they should be able to.

Why shouldn't we?

Because it's a legal arrangement that makes living together and ensuring that everything that's supposed to go to one's "partner" after one's death actually does a lot easier.

Also, it's something that holds a lot of significance in our society, regardless of how much it's changed over the last few centuries. Why allow funerals and birthday parties? The serve no real function, other than being culturally significant.

Everyone should have the feedom and right to marry each other.

marriage is the love not demise of anyones life and should be celebrated when u have that special one God inteneded u to have. I oppose gay marriage and feel it should not be allowed as for the other comment of everyones right to happines. the american way????America was founded on God's ways and we have abandoned these things and now face these horrible things. we allow so much to go on that we are destroying our once god protected country and becoming the mocked nation. everyone should have freedom but at what cost do we keep making extra provisions

Yes we should allow marriages... gay straight or anything in between!!

@Blessingsflow: Read about Norway, sometime. You have been misinformed.

There are (although most answerers ignore this) 3 possibilities, hinted in the question:
1. All marriages are allowed
2. No kind of marriage is allowed
3. The government has nothing to do with marriages

A mixture of 1 and 2 exists currently, where the governemnt (as the third party to a marriage contract) is deciding which marriages are allowable or not. They have no basis for that discrimination.

The third option cannot work, since the gov't has to have some means of recognising a changed tax, benefit, and legal position for constituents.

There is no benefit, to anyone, in disallowing gay marriages. There is benefit to some - those who are gay and would like to be married.

Thus the total sum of happiness is increased by allowing it.

It should be allowed.

Marriage has been a part of human history as long as there has been human history. Our history was based on freedoms. Freedoms that should and must include ALL FREEDOMS. There are many freedoms we all take for granted. I can't list them all. I will give you only one example that really gets under my skin: lets say a str8 couple adopt a baby. They up-bring the baby 15 years. One of the parents die. The other parent can and will continue to up-bring the young person. Not the same with a gay couple. The same young person with become a member of a ward of the state because only one person of a gay couple can put his or her name on the adoption records. If the signing person dies, the other person who raised this young person will and does lose all rights to this child. How fair is that?

Quote: "Marriage is an institution and who wants to be institutionalized"

blessings flow America was founded on everyone's beliefs are OK. that means if two men or women want to express their love and commitment they should be allowed to. Why are you forcing your beliefs on someone else. That is the big problem with radical Muslims. They force their beliefs on the beings around them. If you are Christian, Jesus said not to judge. Why are you judging? Why not let gays and lesbians have happiness? What does it do to you?

It should not even be a question. Equality is equality is equality. The American way is the equal way, so that is what all law abiding citizens demand and are entitled to.

Oh hell, We should allow gay marriage because ANY ONE should have the right to marry in this so called "FREE" country no matter what sex. If two men or two women want to spend their lives together LET THEM BE. What they do behind closed doors is their business. I don't see what the god damn problem is!! Trust me you can make this a religious thing but it's not. This is about people without a life needing something to do!

Everyone should have the right to be miserable in marrage. Isn't not allowing gays to marry aganst the Constitution? "Life, Libberty and the pursute of Happyness?". Just asking.

Who are we to judge other peoples beliefs.

Because it is a basic human right.

Because it's important to reinforce America is founded on the belief all men and women are created equal under God- including homosexuals. If you refuse homosexual marriage you are saying that they aren't equal to heterosexual marriages.

so the gay can't marry a real woman!

So, after divorce, he can't marry his(ex-wife)'s mother.

In islamic law, if a man had sex with a boy(or any person, girl, wife), he is not allowed to marry the boy's mother.

I don't know why do they like to marry a man. Why do they want the bodey of something the same, don't the have themself?

Compared to what? --to outlawing marriage? Come on, really--people should be able to live their lives.

Reading through all of the comments posted here made me feel, finally, that people are finally starting to understand the argument I've been making for years. Every time I see people saying marriage is only between a man and a woman, it makes my heart hurt. I'm straight, but I want to marry a foreigner. I've always believed every consenting adult should have the choice to get married to another consenting adult; however, after waiting 5 long years for the gov't to get their s*** straight and allow my fiance to come to the US ....I finally believe I can truely empathsize with gay men and women who wish to get married.

The rest of the world sees marriage as this higher form of committment (I disagree, I don't need marriage to prove I love my fiance). I've had people question why I share my income with someone who is not my husband. I have had people encourage me to have a fling "before I tie the knot" ..as if it is somehow more forgivable simply because we are not married yet. If I were to die or if we were to seperate, my fiance would not be entitled to the same legal protection as a husband in the same situation.

Until the world understands that love can exists without a legal document "sanctifying" the bond - marriage MUST be allowed for all consenting adults. To allow anything less is inhumane.