One State at a Time
New Jersey's civil union law has now taken effect, allowing same-sex couples many of the rights afforded by marriage. California, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and to some extent Maine offer similar protections.
New Jersey’s civil union law has now taken effect, allowing same-sex couples many of the rights afforded by marriage. California, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and to some extent Maine offer similar protections.
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...BBC:
[Civil union applicant Thomas Mannix], 44, said: “The things being granted are long overdue and very important to have, so we wanted to take advantage of it as soon as it was available.
“But it was also bittersweet because it’s not full marriage. Once a separate class is made, a separate category, we get back to `separate but equal,’ which we’ve learned from the past doesn’t work.”
Ed Barocas, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s New Jersey chapter, suggested that the separate system of rights would not have been accepted had it been based on race.
Legislators in New Jersey created civil unions in December, less than two months after a state Supreme Court decision held that gay couples had a right to the same benefits as married couples.
This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
Military
“It makes it appear that the United States of America is a battleground,” one veteran Marine said.
Health & Wellness
Who’s covered under California’s $175 billion Medicaid program, and what might get cut?
Editorial Cartoons
Labor
The evidence is in: Minimum wage hikes tend to have little to no effect on employment, but can raise the wages of hundreds of thousands of workers.
Race
In California, an approach to Black reparations based on land access, ownership and stewardship.
Prison Reform
A tale of two states and the future of “involuntary servitude” in the West.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.