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As the uproar over the recent New York State law demonstrates, same-sex marriage is a perennial hot-button issue, certain to impact the 2012 election. Debating Same-Sex Marriage provides a useful roadmap to both sides of this contentious matter. Taking a "point/counterpoint" approach, John Corvino (a philosopher and a prominent gay advocate) and Maggie Gallagher (a nationally syndicated columnist and co-founder of the National Organization for Marriage) consider key questions about the institution itself: What is marriage for? Is marriage meant to be a gendered institution? Why is the state in the business of sanctioning marriage? Where do the needs of children fit in? Will legalization of same-sex marriage lead to legalization of polygamy? Corvino argues that society should support same-sex marriage because of its interest in supporting stable households for all its members, gay and straight alike. Gallagher argues that government recognition of same-sex unions as marriages will disconnect marriage from its key public mission furthering responsible procreation, while stigmatizing traditional views of sex, marriage and family as bigotry. Both agree that the issue deserves thoughtful, rigorous engagement.

John Corvino Ph.D. is Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. As "The Gay Moralist," he was a regular columnist for the now-defunct 365gay.com, as well as a frequent contributor to pridesource.com, The Independent Gay Forum, and other online venues. He has contributed to dozens of books, and is currently completing a book entitled What's Wrong with Homosexuality? for Oxford University Press. An award-winning teacher, he has lectured at over 200 campuses on issues of sexuality, ethics, and marriage. Some of his writing and video clips of his lectures are available at www.johncorvino.com.

Maggie Gallagher is a nationally syndicated columnist; the co-founder of the National Organization for Marriage, a leading voice in the movement to strengthen marriage as a social institution; and the author of three other books on marriage including (with University of Chicago Prof. Linda J. Waite) The Case for Marriage: Why Married People are Happier, Healthier and Better-Off Financially. The National Journal named her to its list of the "most influential" people in the same-sex marriage debate. She writes a weekly newsletter on life, marriage and religious liberty at www.culturewarvictoryfund.org.

David Blankenhorn is founder and president of the Institute for American Values, a nonpartisan organization devoted to strengthening families and civil society in the U.S. and the world. Blankenhorn is the author of Fatherless America (1995), The Future of Marriage (2007), and Thrift: A Cyclopedia (2008) and the co-editor of eight volumes, including Franklin's Thrift: The Lost History of an American Virtue (2009). A frequent lecturer, Blankenhorn's articles have appeared in scores of publications, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Public Interest, First Things, and Christianity Today. He has been profiled by the New York Times, USA Today, CBS Evening News and other news organizations, and has been featured on numerous national television programs, including Oprah, 20/20, CBS This Morning, The Today Show, Charlie Rose, ABC Evening News, and C-SPAN's Washington Perspectives.