According to a survey conducted in Princeton, NJ, 53% of the American population say that same-sex marriage should be legally recognized. That is double the amount of people who supported same-sex marriage 17 years ago. Just for the last 3 years there was an increase of 9% of the population that fight for legalizing same-sex marriage (Jones).
Same-sex marriages will not hurt anyone. The National Library of Medicine scientific research publications confirm that sexual orientation is something a person is born with, it's immutable, it is not contagious or learned, it has no relation to a person's ability to form a deep relationship, to be a parent, to work or contribute to society (O'Hanlan). A few years ago, American Psychological Association started a research to see if it is possible to change a person's sexual orientation through psychotherapy or ways to prove that homosexuality is a mental disorder. In august 2009, American Psychiatric Association concluded that homosexuality is not a mental disorder. The report also stated that trying to change a person's sexual orientation would cause harm, including anxiety, depression and loss of sexual feelings (Glassgold). .
How would you feel to get strange and criticizing looks every time you walk down the street with the person you love? How would you feel if people around you said that you were not normal? That's exactly what our American Laws do by denying same-sex marriage. Denying people's ability to be legally united has increased the number of people who suffer of psychiatric disorders. States that banned same-sex marriage registered an increase of depression, anxiety and addictions among gay and lesbians between 2001 and 2005. American Journal of Public Health states that mood disorders increased by 36 %, anxiety disorders by 248.2 %, alcohol disorders by 41.9 % and psychiatric comorbidity by 36.3 %. States that allowed same-sex marriage didn't register any increase in psychiatric disorders among gay people and their families.
