The Gay Marriage Debate is Over.

Well, it seems that this bullshit same sex marriage issue just keeps popping up. I'm not exactly sure why. I mean, there was a point in time when people could argue against letting gay people marry based on hypothetical grounds; that is, for the last decade, we've been preventing gay marriage because of what-ifs. So, let's put this issue to rest, shall we?

It's been three years since Massachusetts legalized gay marriage, and we need to seriously look at the evidence to see if all hell broke loose, as Republicans and church leaders would have people think:

• Gross state product increased 2.6% from 2004 to 2005.
  
• It is now the state with the lowest divorce rate.
  
• From 2004-2005, the divorce rates of states proactive against gay marriage increased, on average, by 1.75%.
  
• 4 of the 5 states with the highest divorce rate increases are anti-gay-marriage.
  
• The Congressional Budget Office predicted (2004) that if federally same-sex marriage was legalized, there would be a net budget surplus of $1 billion dollars per year over the next 10 years.
  
• The federal Department of Health and Human Services (the people who oversee adoptions, among other things) explicitly state that gay adoption is perfectly healthy and acceptable to the adopted child.
  
• The world population continues to grow.
  
• You can marry if you're a post-op transsexual, but not if you're gay.
  
• Nobody has provided solid, non-speculative evidence against it.

The evidence therefore contradicts claims that same-sex marriage in the United States is a bad thing. Massachusetts, if anything, has gotten better because of it. Are we done now? Can we move on to more important matters, like our shitty education system, Iraq, an idiot president, lack of environmental policy, and, most importantly, global warming?

The Republicans have been wrong-- about everything. There were no viable weapons of mass destruction, Iraq is in civil war, they don't want us there, and oh, how could I forget, gay marriage is beneficial.

Until theres evidence to the contrary, legalize it. If it's still being opposed next year, we must collectively bitchslap the people that oppose it. If you don't like gay marriage, you don't have to like it; but, there is now no reason to keep it illegal.

...period. End of story. Thank you and good night.