Divorce, Not Freedom to Marry, Is the Real Issue for Rescuing Families

The Huffington Post
January 26, 2010
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach writes that denial of marriage equality "has absolutely nothing to do with rescuing the institution of marriage" and that the real issue is divorce: "[M]ore than 50% of all marriages end in divorce. And this was happening years before gays came out in significant numbers, let alone demanded the right to marry." [Link]

Parents in Maine on the Freedom to Marry: 'It's all about the kids'

Portland Press Herald
October 13, 2009
Maine residents Brenda Nichols, 38, and her partner, Christine Nichols, 39, juggle work with family and try to keep their daughters safe, healthy and happy. For them, being able to be legally married isn't about a fancy wedding – it's not their style – but about protecting their children.

It's about making sure the family is legally protected in case one of them dies, about getting tax benefits to help them save money for college, and about a stability that comes from growing up with married parents. (Link)

Rachel Maddow Video: Marriage Equality Is A 'Defense Of Marriage Act' In Massachusetts

News1News
September 3, 2009
Rachel Maddow explains that, contrary to what many conservative talking heads predicted, marriage equality in Massachusetts has not destroyed the institution of marriage, it has actually strengthened it. Divorce rates in MA are now the lowest in the country - down to pre-World War II levels. [Link]

A Moral Crossroads For Conservatives

National Journal
August 8, 2009
Jonathan Rauch writes about how the genie that marriage equality opponents still hope to stuff back into the bottle is out for good. Rauch shares a personal story of the struggle a same-sex couple faced trying to take care of each other in the hospital and writes, "If cultural conservatism continues to treat same-sex couples as outside the social covenant, the currents of history will flow right around it." (Link)

OPINION: Stampp Corbin: Counting all forms of discrimination against LGBTs

San Diego News Network
July 13, 2009
When it comes to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, discrimination against us is often subtle. Much of it is so subtle; most Americans don’t even know it exists. How are members of the LGBT community discriminated against? Let me count the ways. [Link]

Gay couples delay 'epic step' of marriage

DesMoines Register
July 6, 2009
While more than 450 same-sex couples filed for marriage licenses in the week following the April court decision legalizing marriage in Iowa, hundreds of others had reasons to wait. Susan Houts, who counsels many gay couples at the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center, has been impressed that same-sex couples are critically examining whether marriage is the right decision and might have something to teach heterosexual couples who have lost that sense of marriage as a profound step. "Contrary to what you hear in the media and in some religious groups, same-sex relationships actually experience more cohesion in their relationships ... and that's backed up by research," she said. [Link]

Auto club challenged over treatment of gay couples

Southern Voice
June 26, 2009
John Imming, member service vice president for AAA South, said that his club has decided to limit the associate discount to spouses and dependents, but leaves it to the individual to determine their relationship. Imming said that if a gay couple presents as married, they will be treated as a married couple, but if they use the terms boyfriend, girlfriend or partner they will likely be turned down. [link]

Editorial: Take the Plunge

The Washington Post
June 21, 2009
THE D.C. BOARD of Elections and Ethics was right. A proposed referendum that sought to overturn the D.C. Council's law recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, which takes effect next month, was a violation of the District's elections law. The board's decision isn't the end of the process. Congress could step in. So far, it has shown the good sense to do nothing. Its 30-day review period is projected to end on July 6. Next the council is expected to consider legislation to legalize marriage equality in the District. Marriage is a cherished institution. It commits two loving people to each other. It nurtures families. And it should be open to all who want to be a part of it. [Link]

State Dept. Plan Would Extend Benefits to Same Sex Partners

Washington Post
May 24, 2009
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will soon announce that the partners of gay U.S. diplomats are eligible for many benefits currently denied them and allowed to spouses of heterosexual diplomats, according to lawmakers and others advocating the change. [link]

For Gay Couples, Married Matters

Boston Globe
May 24, 2009
Five years after the first same-sex weddings in Massachusetts, gay and lesbian couples express deeply traditional reasons for deciding to wed and cite equally conventional benefits flowing from marriage, according to a study being released this week. The survey indicates that there is something universal about the legal protections and social advantages afforded by the institution of marriage, said the study's authors from the University of California, Los Angeles as well as independent researchers. [link]

Kept From a Dying Partner’s Bedside

New York Times
May 19, 2009
When a loved one is in the hospital, you naturally want to be at the bedside. But what if the staff won’t allow it? That's what happened to a woman trying to visit her dying partner's bedside because they cannot get married. (Link)

How Hospitals Treat Same-Sex Couples

New York Times
Well Blog
May 12, 2009
During a medical emergency, a patient’s husband, wife, parents or other family members often are close by, overseeing treatment, making medical decisions and keeping vigil at the bedside. But what happens if the hospital won’t allow you to stay with your partner or child? That’s the challenge many same-sex couples face during health care emergencies when hospital security personnel, administrators and even doctors and nurses exclude them from a patient’s room because they aren’t “real” family members. [link]

Marriage Equality Gradually Gains Legal Ground

Los Angeles Times
May 4, 2009
Protections for gay couples are expanding as more states allow gay couples to marry, those couples relocate to states that ban marriage equality, and courts, legislatures and employers must address issues of custody, divorce, inheritance and end-of-life decisions. [Link]

Mommy Wars

Salt Lake City Weekly
April 30, 2009
The couple split up in 2007 and now are fighting for custody of their 3-yearold son, which Dickson had given birth to through artificial insemination. As the biological mother, Dickson, now remarried and with a husband, legally has all rights to the child, with no challenge to her fitness as a parent. Edvalson, formerly one of two mothers in the household, is now a "legal stranger." Fundamentally, the issue is whether one parent can cut off the other after both have done everything possible under Utah law to secure their relationship to the child. [Link]

BBC Analysis: Marriage

BBC
April 21, 2009
Next week the first marriage licences will be issued for gay couples in the mid-western American state of Iowa. But meanwhile, a majority of US states have amended their constitutions to ban gay couples' marriage. Evan Wolfson says, "The best way for all of us to protect not only personal freedom, but religious freedom, is to respect the separation of church and state. I think people need to remember that under the law, marriage has many different meanings... but what counts legally is the license issued by the government and the legal responsibilities and protections that are attached to that." [audio Link]

NY Appeals Court Denies Parental Rights To Lesbian

WCBSTV
April 10, 2009
A New York state appeals court has ruled that a lesbian whose partner gave birth to a boy after their Vermont civil union has no parental rights because she never legally adopted the child. [Link]

Study examines effect of marriage on gay couples

365Gay.com

March 20, 2009

The legal recognition of same-sex relationships, including marriage, influences how gay and lesbian baby boomers prepare for late life and end of life issues, a new study has found. Unmarried same-sex couples may suffer greater fear and anxiety around end of life issues than those in state-sanctioned unions, according to the findings. [Link]

Insurance chief says legally married same-sex couples get coverage

News10NBC
November 22, 2008
After an appeals court ruled unanimously that New York state must recognize valid out-of-state marriages of gay couples, State Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo tells insurance companies that they must adhere to the decision. [Link]

Study: Why marry?

365Gay.com
October 16, 2008
The most common motivations for marrying are obtaining legal protections and making a public statement of commitment. The biggest obstacles to marriage are lack of family approval and difficulties planning and paying for the wedding. [Link]
Read more about the protections and responsibilities of marriage.

I now pronounce you civilly unionized

Time Out Chicago
October 15, 2008
"The inequitable marriage situation in this country 'is very misguided discrimination that couldn’t occur with any other group of people,' Marquis says. 'I think people aren’t aware of how much it dehumanizes somebody to be told you can’t marry the person you love…. There’s a real sorrow in that. And that’s why there was real joy in getting married.'" [Link]