“First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me. “~Pastor Niemoeler (victim of the Nazis)

 

Of all the people I know who support gay marriage- gay rights, period- I can't say that very many of them care enough to vote.  And when it does come time to vote, how often is gay marriage actually on the ballot?   

We need to get this on the ballot for 2012. And more importantly, we need it to pass. This isn’t about what political party you belong to. This isn’t about whether or not you like our president. This isn’t about whether or not you support other controversial issues such as abortion or the legalization of marijuana- if we ban abortion or marijuana, those things are banned for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation. This is about marriage- something that I, as a female dating a male, am entitled to nationally, yet my female friend dating another female is not.

Whether you view marriage as a religious preservation or a legal one- the fact is: in America, when it comes to the legal rights, marriage is a legal preservation. If it’s going to be one way for heterosexual individuals, it needs to be the same way for homosexuals. Civil unions are NOT the same. The difference?

 

 

· Portability: Marriages are respected state to state for all purposes but questions remain as to how civil unions will be treated in other states. The two appellate courts that have addressed the issue in Connecticut and Georgia have disregarded them based on the fact that their own states do not grant civil unions.

· Federal Benefits: According to a 1997 General Accounting Office report, civil marriage brings with it at least 1,049 legal protections and responsibilities from the federal government alone. Civil unions bring none of these critical legal protections.

· Taxes and Public Benefits for the Family: Because the federal government does not respect civil unions, a couple with a civil union will be in a kind of limbo with regard to governmental functions performed by both state and federal governments, such as taxation, pension protections, provision of insurance for families, and means-tested programs like Medicaid. Even when states try to provide legal protections, they may be foreclosed from doing so in joint federal/state programs.

· Filling Out Forms:  Every day we fill out forms that ask us whether we are married, single, divorced or widowed. People joined in a civil union do not fit in any of those categories. People with civil unions should be able to identify themselves as a single family unit yet misrepresenting oneself on official documents can be considered fraud and can carry potential serious criminal penalties.

· Separate and Unequal—Second Class Status: Even if there were no substantive differences in the way the law treated marriages and civil unions, the fact that a civil union remains a separate status only for gay people represents real and powerful inequality. The United States Constitution requires legal equality for all. Including lesbian and gay couples within existing marriage laws in is the fairest and simplest thing to do.

· Ending a Civil Union: If you are married, you can get divorced in any state in which you are a resident. But if states continue to disregard civil unions, there is no way to end the relationship other than establishing residency in Vermont and filing for dissolution there. This has already created problems for couples who now have no way to terminate their legal agreement. 1

 

 

 

This may seem like it doesn’t affect you directly. But it wasn’t just women fighting for the right for women to vote. It wasn’t just African Americans fighting to end slavery. This affects our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends, our family- it affects all of us, so it does affect you.

 

1 National Organization for Women. Civil Marriage v. Civil Unions. Retrieved May 7, 2011, from http://www.now.org/issues/marriage/marriage_unions.html