The United States Supreme Court recently ruled that the Constitution guarantees the right to same-sex marriage. As of January 2014, only seventeen U.S. states have legalized same-sex marriage, allowing same-sex couples to marry. The other 33 states have constitutional amendments that deny the freedom of same-sex couples to marry (where state laws). Gale claims that same-sex relationships and even same-sex marriages have existed since the beginning of history. However, in 1970, when same-sex couples wishing to marry were denied a license, the battle for equal rights exploded (Gay Marriage). The topic of legalizing same-sex marriage sparks a lot of debate, with positive aspects such as the fact that the United States benefits greatly from it, it does not ruin the sanctity of marriage and homosexuals are granted the same rights as heterosexuals and negatives like opposing popular religious views, changing the Orthodox definition of marriage, and same-sex marriage harms our children. Legalizing same-sex marriage, while often contested, would benefit the United States in many ways. It has been found that by allowing same-sex couples to marry, the state receives an economic boost. New York, for example, received $259 million in its economy after allowing same-sex couples to marry. The legalization of same-sex marriage also promotes a state of well-being among LGBT people (7 Ways Murray). For example, the federal government has denied more than 1,000 benefits to legally married couples. Indeed, the DOMA law (Defense of Marriage Act) defines marriage as the union between a woman and a man. However, recently this section of the law was deemed unconstitutional. This means that same-sex couples, who are legally married in the state...... middle of document ...... frc.org Family Research Council2004 Web. February 18, 2014 “Gay Marriage”. Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Student Resources in Context. Internet. February 6, 2014. “Gay Marriage History and Debate” Debate.org np 2012. Web. February 4, 2014 “Just-The-Facts” Whymarriagematter.org Why Marriage Matters. Nd Web. February 4, 2014 Khan, Zafar “Islamic Views on Homosexuality” Islamicawareness.net np and Web. February 14, 2014 Lipp, Murray “7 Ways the United States Benefits from Legalizing Gay Marriage” Huffingtonpost.com Huffington Post June 2, 2013 Web February 6, 2014 Lipp, Murray “The Top 10 Arguments Against Gay Marriage” Huffingtonpost.com Huffington Post May 28, 2013 Web February 16, 2014Smith, Michal “Same-sex marriage is bad for society” Dailyherald.com Daily Herald February 21, 2014 Web February 9, 2014 “Where State Laws Stand” Freedomtomarry.org Freedom to Marry I