by Geoff Staples

As human beings, we are intelligent and self-aware, possessing both reason and emotion, and free-will. By the exercise of our free will, we can select our own purpose and imbue our lives with meaning.

All human beings possess inherent worth, and every human life is equally valuable. Each person has the right and the responsibility to steer their own course through life.

Through the use of reason and conscience, we can perceive morality, defined as the principles of behavior which produce the greatest happiness and the least suffering both now and in the future. Morality is not dependent ...   more »

Sexuality is an integral part of the personality of every human being. Its full development depends upon the satisfaction of basic human needs such as the desire for contact, intimacy, emotional expression, pleasure, tenderness and love.

Sexuality is constructed through the interaction between the individual and social structures. Full development of sexuality is essential for individual, interpersonal, and societal well being.

Sexual rights are universal human rights based on the inherent freedom, dignity, and equality of all human beings. Since health is a fundamental human right, so must sexual health be a basic human right.
In order to assure that ...   more »

Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948 (other language versions)

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories."

PREAMBLE

Whereas recognition of ...   more »

A partial list of the over 1000 federal benefits accruing to opposite gender married couples and their families denied to same-sex married couples and their families.

Is this simply a violation of human rights or is it the enslavement of gays and lesbians by forcing them to pay taxes which subsidize opposite-gender married couples and their families?

• benefits such as annuities, pension plans, Social Security, and Medicare;
• bereavement or sick leave to care for a partner or child;
• crime victims' recovery benefits;
• decision-making power with respect to whether a deceased partner will be cremated or not and where to bury ...   more »

January 23, 2004

The Honorable Bill Frist
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Subject: Defense of Marriage Act: Update to Prior Report

Dear Senator Frist:

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) provides definitions of “marriage” and “spouse” that are to be used in construing the meaning of a federal law and, thus, affect the interpretation of a wide variety of federal laws ...   more »

B-275860

January 31, 1997

The Honorable Henry J. Hyde
Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary
House of Representatives

Dear Mr. Chairman:
The Defense of Marriage Act[1], which became law on September 21 of last year, defines “marriage” as “a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife”; similarly it defines “spouse” as referring “only to a person of ...   more »