Gay Marriage

Newsweek is running an article entitled, "The Conscience of a Conservative." The subtitle asks, "The lifelong Republican who argued Bush v. Gore before the Supreme Court—and won—goes to court this week to overturn California's ban on gay marriage. Huh?"

Questions to Consider:

1. Why do you think that conservative friends have asked Mr. Olson when he decided that he was for gay marriage? Do all conservatives, or all liberals, have to agree on everything? Why or why not?

2. Think of a specific debatable issue? What are the different sides of that issue? If individuals are on the same side of the issue can there still be disagreements between them? What kinds of disagreements? (What does it mean intellectually to belong to a political party? What does it mean to take a particular side in a debate in the classroom? )

3. Define the term marriage? What are the most important things about a marriage? What parts of a marriage are unimportant? Why?

4. Do you think that there are things that a government should tell a person that he may or may not do? Why? In what kinds of ways, if any, should a government be able to govern the behavior of individuals? In what kinds of ways, if any, should a government not be able to govern the behavior of individuals?

5. The government of the United States allows married couples to receive certain tax benefits. Should homosexual people who marry be allowed to enjoy the same tax benefits as heterosexuals? Why or why not?