Ask audience's opinions on what marriage is.
The United States Supreme Court stated in 1967 that marriage is "one of the basic civil rights of man" and presumably woman. The U.S. Supreme Court also stated that the freedom to marry is "essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness".
Married couples tend to be happier, healthier, and wealthier then unmarried couples, documented in A Case for Marriage (Waite & Gallagher).
Marriage allows a couple to cement their relationship in the eyes of their friends, family, communities, God, the government, and most importantly themselves. It is viewed as the first step to the rest of their lives. The first step towards being a family.
Marriage also comes with legal benefits from the government both on a state and federal level. There are more then one thousand legal benefits given strictly to married couples on a federal level. This does not include benefits offered by the state. Some of these benefits are tax advantages, share in spouses estate even without a will, one cannot be compelled to testify against spouse in legal proceedings, able to make decisions in the name of your spouse (financially and medically, for instance). These are obviously just a very few benefits for married couples.
Arguments for:.
▸ Marriage is a union of two people who love each other, regardless of sex.
▸ According to the US Constitution, every United States citizen is entitled to equal protection of laws. Denying millions of same-sex couples the right to marriage denies equal protection of laws.
US Constitution, Amendment XIV, Section 1.
".no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within it's jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.".
Arguments against:.
▸ A healthy society requires a strong preference for marriage.