As established by the United States Constitution, everyone has equal rights. The United States Supreme Court recently ruled that the Constitution guarantees the right to same-sex marriage. Gay rights are forgotten many times and equal rights for same-sex marriage is often ignored. For this reason, the federal authorities have left the political decision on the matter to the individual state governments. Many people in the United States and around the world have wildly different opinions on the subject; some for religious reasons, some for family reasons, some for how they were raised. The politics of gay marriage and equal rights is an extremely sensitive topic, and it's much deeper than it might seem. Ohio is one of thirty-five states that do not recognize gay marriage as legal, so it does not grant such marriage benefits to couples (ProCon.org, 2013). “Ohio by law limits marriage to “one man and one woman”” (Equality Ohio, n.d.). Males must be at least 18 years old, while females must be at least 16 years old to be free to obtain consent from their legal guardians (LaWriter, 2004). Ohio law is very specific on these guidelines as to which marriages are legal and which are not. Many issues are related to the politics of gay marriage and equal rights. The benefits of marriage are just one issue in this regard. In Ohio, legal marriage provides benefits involving taxes, property, employment, medicine, death, family and many other topics. All these benefits consider the spouses as one. Spouses can collect disability or Social Security for each other. They may also be able to obtain insurance from their spouse's employer (Guillen, n.d.). Benefits like...... middle of paper ......nson, B. A. (2012, July 18). Same-sex marriages (SSM), civil unions and domestic partnerships. Retrieved from http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_marr.htmSantoscoy, C. (2013, September 9). Sherrod Brown Helps Launch Campaign for Gay Marriage in Ohio - On Top Magazine | Gay news and entertainment. Retrieved from http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=16357&MediaType=1&Category=26Unknown (2013). Gay marriage rights. Retrieved from http://marriage.laws.com/gay-marriage-rightsUnknown (2013, July 10). Democratic Civil Rights Party. Retrieved from http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/Democratic_Party_Civil_ Rights.htmWong, CM (2012, November 5). 'Glee,' 'Modern Family' and other LGBT-themed TV shows support gay marriage: Poll. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/05/glee-modern-family-hollywood-reporter-gay-tv-poll_n_2077149.html#slide=1525074