The other day I had a rather irritating argument with someone about whether gay marriage should be allowed at all. The argument presented was simply the "fact" that marriage, by definition, according to religion, constitutes as the nuptials between a man and a woman. Now, what annoys me about this is the religious influence on the matter. When people get married, it does not, in any way, depend on their religious beliefs or practices. The fact is, one can obtain a marriage license--through a civil ceremony--without even going through the hassle of having a religious ceremony. This, combined with the fact that all legalities concerning nuptial arrangements are dealt with the state, in a secular government, should invalidate any religious influence on the matter regarding which persons get married.

That being said, the only way homosexuals should not be allowed to get married is if there is sufficient proof--sans religious reasons--against it happening. For comparisons sakes, one could argue that human beings should not be allowed to marry animals because the latter have no actual say in the matter. This matter would not require any religious intervention and the state could decide this primarily on logical grounds for reasoning. Unless they can find sufficient reasons for why homosexuals really should not marry, it should be allowed since the matter has purely legal grounds.