are created equal. Does this exclude homosexuals? Many think so simply because they believe that marriage is not a right, but a privilege. This argument means that because gays are not going to bring a child into the world, they do not deserve the privilege of marriage. Those that oppose this argument see marriage in a different way. They believe that if you love someone, you have the right to bond yourself to them legally.
             There are many legal and economic benefits to marriage. Studies show that, generally, married couples are more economically stable. When Sandra Rovira's life partner died in her arms from cancer, her partner's company, AT&T, denied any and all death benefits to her. AT&T made it clear that if the law recognized homosexual unions, so would they. Twelve years earlier, Ms. Rovira and her partner, Ms. Forlini, formalized their relationship in a ceremony where the two women exchanged rings and vows. However, because this ceremony is not recognized by the government, Ms. Rovira was denied the benefits that would have been given to her if she was a man who had gone through the same ceremony. An AT&T spokesperson, Maureen Lynch, was quoted as saying, "If we have a benefit for spouses and you don't have a spouse, that doesn't mean we've discriminated... If you're single, you're not being discriminated against, you just don't have anybody who's eligible for that benefit."(New York Times, 1989) This woman was being discriminated against because she did not have the option of marrying her partner. If Ms. Rovira and Ms. Forlini could have obtained a marriage that was seen as valid by the law, they would have been able to share the following benefit with many married heterosexual couples.
             "By the simple public act of marrying, men and women achieve a
             substantial package of rights and duties which, collectively
             provide support and predictability to their marital relationship:
             1) legal recognitio...