Another health benefit of same sex marriage

Following up on my earlier post about the topic, here's another benefit of same sex marriage--it appears to lower syphilis rates. Thomas Dee, a Swarthmore College Professor, examined rates of syphilis, HIV, and gonorrhea in European countries that have introduced national recognition of same sex partnership laws. He found that syphilis rates were 24 percent lower in these countries than in European countries that did have such legislation. (Rates for HIV and gonorrhea were not significantly lower, however). Here's what Dee has to say about the meaning of the study's results:

The evidence shows these laws could dramatically reduce risky sexual behavior and the social costs of some sexually transmitted infections," says Thomas Dee, an associate professor of economics. "However, the results may be even more important because of what they suggest are the likely effects of gay marriage on the degree of personal commitment in same-sex relationships."

In other words, legalizing same sex marriage (or at least passing laws that recognize the legitimacy of same sex partnerships) leads to greater personal commitment to one's relationship, which leads to increased monogamy and safer sex, which leads to decreased rates of at least one STD.

It seems like a reasonable theory to me, and just reinforces my belief that sex sex marriage is not only a political and ethical issue but also a public health issue. The physical, psychological, and emotional health of gays and lesbians will benefit from providing them with the choice to marry and/or legally recognizing their relationships.