The RP’s Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Love

This week the Supreme Court will hear arguments regarding the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans.  On the docket are cases involving the controversial California gay marriage ban known as Proposition 8.  The justices will also hear challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which was signed into law by President Clinton.

Though many Senators and House members have come out in recent weeks to express their support for marriage equality, Kentucky’s own Rand Paul took a slightly different view of the problem while appearing on “Fox News Sunday.”  The Senator suggested that same-sex couples might be satisfied if marriage were removed from the tax code all together, thus there would be no  benefits for traditional marriage.  Paul also stated that he feels marriage equality is a matter for states to decide rather than the federal government.

Alex Pareene takes a novel view of the anti-gay marriage argument in Salon.  Pareene suggests that if those arguing against the legalization of gay marriage are to suggest that child rearing is the primary reason for marriage, the more effective response is to ban divorce.