The background and pro and con arguments were written by ProCon.org staff based upon input from the
following footnotes (directly referenced) and sources (used for general research and not directly
referenced):
Footnotes:
1. Christian Broadcasting Network, "Americans Question Who Makes a Family," www.cbn.com, Sep. 15, 2010
2. Nate Silver, "Divorce Rates Higher in States with Gay Marriage Bans," www.fivethirtyeight.com, Jan. 12, 2010
3. Ross Douthat, "The Marriage Ideal," www.nytimes.com, Aug. 8, 2010
4. Kathryn Perry, "The Cost of Gay Marraige - In Dollars and Cents," Christian Science Monitor, May 27, 2009
5. American Psychological Association, "American Psychological Association Reiterates Support for Same-sex Marriage,"
www.apa.org, Aug. 11, 2010
6. Freedom to Marry, "Marriage 101," www.freedomtomarry.org (accessed Sep. 15, 2010)
7. Tara Siegel Bernard and Ron Lieber, "The High Price of Being a Gay Couple," www.nytimes.com, Oct. 2, 2009
8. American Anthropological Association, "Statement on Marriage and the Family," www.aaanet.org, Feb. 26, 2004
9. Margaret Talbot, "Marriage as a Dynamic Institution," www.newyorker.com, Jan. 12, 2010
10. "Do We Really Want to Redefine Marriage," www.floppingaces.net, Aug. 11, 2010
11. Glen Lavy, "Gay Marriage and the 'Slippery Slope,'" www.latimes.com, May 21, 2008
12. "Ballot Arguments," www.protectmarriage.com (accessed Sep. 15, 2010)
13. Fiona Tasker, PhD, and Susan Golombok, PhD, Growing Up in a Lesbian Family: Effects of Child Development, 1997
14. M.V. Lee Badgett, PhD, When Gay People Get Married, 2009
15. William N. Eskridge, Jr., Equality Practice: Civil Unions and the Future of Gay RIghts, 2001
16. Paula Ettelbrick, "Since When Is Marriage a Path to Liberation?," OUT/LOOK National Gay and Lesbian Quarterly, Fall
1989
17. Stanley Kurtz, "The End of Marriage in Scandinavia," Weekly Standard, Feb. 2, 2004
18. Stephen J. Heaney, "A Marriage Tail," www.thepublicdiscourse.com, Aug. 13, 2010
19. Dana Mack, "Now What for Marriage?," www.wsj.com, Aug. 6, 2010
20. Andrew Sullivan, Same-Sex Marriage Pro and Con, 2004
21. David Carter, Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution, 2005
22. George Chauncey, Why Marriage?: The History Shaping Today's Debate over Gay Equality, 2004
23. Tricia Andryszewski, Same-Sex Marriage: Moral Wrong or Civil Right?, 2007
24. Gregory M. Herek, PhD, "Facts About Homosexuality and Mental Health," www.ucdavis.edu (accessed Sep. 16, 2010)
25. "A Contentious Debate: Same-Sex Marriage in the U.S.," www.pewforum.org, July 9, 2009
26. Alan Cooperman, Jonathan Finer, and Fred Barbash, "Gay Couples Wed in Mass.," Washington Post, May 17, 2004
27. "House Rejects Same-Sex Marriage Ban," Washington Post, Oct. 1, 2004
28. Jennfer C. Pizer, "Lambda Legal Applauds Perry v. Schwarzenegger Ruling Striking Down Prop 8," www.lambdalegal.org,
Aug. 4, 2010
29. "Same Sex Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships," www.ncsl.org, Apr. 2010
30. Maura Dolan, "Federal Panel Puts Same-sex Marriage on Hold as Appeal of Prop. 8 Ruling Goes Forward,"
www.latimes.com, Aug. 17, 2010
31. "ABA Supports Legalizing Same-sex Marriage," www.upi.com, Aug. 11, 2010
32. "American Psychological Association Reiterates Support for Same-sex Marriage," www.apa.org, Aug. 11, 2010
33. "Church Statement on Proposition 8 Ruling," www.newsroom.lds.org, Aug. 4, 2010
34. Jeffrey Donovan, "Pope Condemns Gay Marriage, Warns on Biotechnology Before Trip to U.K.," www.bloomberg.com,
Sep. 13, 2010
35. Nate Silver, "Opinion on Same-Sex Marriage Appears to Shift at Accelerated Pace,” www.fivethirtyeight.com, Aug. 12,
2010
36. "Americans Split Evenly on Gay Marriage," www.cnn.com, Aug. 11, 2010
37. Amber G. Marcellino, et al., "Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate H.R. 2517," www.cbo.gov, Dec. 17, 2009
38. J. Frank Vespa-Papaleo, et al., "The Legal, Medical, Economic & Social Consequences of New Jersey's Civil Union Law,"
www.nj.gov, Dec. 10, 2008
39. "Recognition of Same-Sex Couples Worldwide," www.lambdalegal.org, July 19, 2010
40. "Answers to Questions About Marriage Equality," www.hrc.org, Dec. 8, 2009
41. Vaughn Walker, JD, Opinion, Perry v. Schwarzenneger, www.uscourts.gov, Aug. 4, 2010
42. Richard J. Podell, "American Bar Association Recommendation," www.christianlawjournal.com, Aug. 10, 2010
43. William C. Thompson, Jr., "Love Counts: The Economic Benefits of Marriage Equality for New York,"
www.comptroller.nyc.gov, June 2007
44. James G. Pawelski, MS, et al., "The Effects of Marriage, Civil Union, and Domestic Partnership Laws on the Health and
Well-being of Children," Pediatrics, July 2006
45. Nanette Gartrell, MD, and Henny Bos, PhD, "US National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study: Psychological Adjustment of
17-Year-Old Adolescents," Pediatrics, July 7, 2010
46. Rachel H. Farr, Stephen L. Forsell, and Charlotte J. Patterson, "Parenting and Child Development in Adoptive Families:
Does Parental Sexual Orientation Matter?," Applied Developmental Science, July 19, 2010
47. Anjan Choudhury, JD, "Application for Leave to File Brief Amici Curiae in Support of the Parties Challenging the Marriage
Exclusion, and Brief Amici Curiae of the American Psychological Association, California Psychological Association,
American Psychiatric Association, National Association of Social Workers, and National Association of Social Workers,
California Chapter in Support of the Parties Challenging the Marriage Exclusion," www.courtinfo.ca.gov, Sep. 26, 2007
48. Laura Langbein and Mark A. Yost, Jr., "Same-Sex Marriage and Negative Externalities," Social Science Quarterly, June
2009
49. Bruce Peterson, JD, Majority Opinion, Baker v. Nelson, www.marriagelawfoundation.org, Oct. 15, 1971
50. W. Bradford Wilcox and Elizabeth Marquardt, "The State of Our Unions: Marriage in America 2009,"
www.stateofourunions.org, Dec. 2009
51. Brady E. Hamilton, PhD, Joyce A. Martin, MPH, and Stephanie J. Ventura, MA, "Births: Preliminary Date for 2008,"
National Vital Statistics Reports, Apr. 6, 2010
52. Bruce J. Ellis, "Does Father Absence Place Daughters at Special Risk for Early Sexual Activity and Teenage
Pregnancy?," Child Development, May 2003
53. Judith Stacey and Timothy J. Biblarz, "(How) Does the Sexual Orientation of Parents Matter?," American Sociological
Review, Apr. 2001
54. Joseph Card. Ratzinger, "Considerations Regarding Proposals To Give Legal Recognition To Unions Between
Homosexual Persons," June 3, 2003
55. Steven Levinson, JD, Majority Opinion, Baehr v. Lewin, www.umass.edu, May 5, 1993
56. John Dooley, Baker v. Vermont, Majority Opinion, www.umass.edu, Dec. 20, 1999
57. Jake Tapper, "President Obama Supports Legislation to Repeal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA),” www.abcnews.com,
July 19, 2011
58. David Nakamura, "Obama Backs Bill to Repeal Defense of Marriage Act," www.washingtonpost.com, July 19, 2011
Sources:
Jonathan H. Adler, "Is Judge Walker’s Opinion Really That Compelling?," www.volokh.com, Aug. 6, 2010
Paul Axel-Lute, "Same-Sex Marriage: A Selective Bibliography of the Legal Literature," www.law-library.rutgers.edu, Sep. 1, 2010
Frederick Hertz, Making It Legal, 2009
Michael Mello, Legalizing Gay Marriage, 2004
"Rhode Island Couples Talk Marriage Equality in New Video," www.glad.org, Mar. 16, 2010
David A.J. Richards, The Case for Gay Rights: From Bowers to Lawrence and Beyond, 2005
R. Claire Snyder, Gay Marriage and Democracy, 2006
"Stonewall Rebellion," www.nytimes.com, Apr. 10, 2009