Britannica
Sources used in this answer
- same-sex marriage - Religious and secular expectations of marriage and sexuality
- Gay marriage - Con 1: The institution of marriage has traditionally been defined as being between a man and a woman. Civil unions and domestic partnerships could provide the protections and benefits gay couples need without changing the definition of marriage.
Why do some libertarians argue that government should not regulate marriage?
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same-sex marriage
Same-sex couple exchanging rings during their marriage ceremony in Pittsburgh, 2014.
Some libertarians argue that the government should not regulate marriage because they believe that state powers should be strictly limited to essential tasks such as maintaining civil order, infrastructure, and defense.1
From this perspective, marriage legislationāwhether it involves the legalization or the prohibition of same-sex marriageāfalls outside the proper scope of government authority. Consequently, many libertarians advocate for the "privatization" of marriage, meaning it should be removed from government regulation entirely, allowing citizens the freedom to form any partnerships of their choosing.1