Trouble with Civil Unions

The Washington Post reported on Saturday that some couples in New Jersey who have registered for civil unions since they became available four months ago are still being denied the rights and benefits the law was intended to grant them.

The article tells of Craig Ross and Richard Cash. Despite their civil union, Ross's employer of 21 years is refusing to provide health insurance coverage for Cash. The company has a self-funded insurance plan, and claims - as have other employers - that federal regulations therefore allow them to ignore state laws regarding employee benefits.

The federal Defense of Marriage Act is often cited by companies like Ross's as justification for denying benefits to the partners of employees even when they are legally recognized by the state.

Ross and Cash are not alone. According to the Post, "A recent study by Garden State Equality, New Jersey's leading gay advocacy group, indicated that as many as one in eight of the 1,092 same-sex couples who have registered for civil unions there have been denied all or part of the benefits they hoped to gain from the law."

This is an excellent example of why civil unions are not an adequate substitute for equal marriage, as they are clearly considered to be less than marriage by some employers (not to mention the federal government).

One Step Closer

Janet Jenkins last Friday came one step closer to seeing her daughter again.

In dissolving the Vermont civil union between Janet and her ex-spouse, Lisa Miller, a Vermont Family Court judge ordered regular parent-child contact between Janet and her daughter, Isabella. Her first visit could be as soon as June 30.

The court's order is the latest development in GLAD's case Miller-Jenkins v. Miller-Jenkins, which you can read about here.

Civil Unions are Inadequate

The New York Times agrees, judging from the editorial in today's issue.

What do you think?

Civil Unions Come to New Hampshire

Last week New Hampshire Governor John Lynch signed into law a civil union bill that had passed the legislature back in April. When the bill goes into effect next January, New Hampshire will be the third state in New England and the fifth in the US to offer lesbian and gay couples a legal union that - while not marriage - purports to offer the same rights, responsibilities, and benefits. Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey also offer civil unions, and California offers a registered domestic partnership. (Oregon will start offering a similar domestic partnership option in January, 2008).

This is a big step toward equality in New Hampshire, where same-sex couples and their children currently live in a painful legal void. New Hampshire Freedom to Marry, gay and lesbian legislators and allies in the state should be congratulated on this victory.

But, for all the benefits they may provide, civil unions are not equal to marriage. Marriage provides better protection, allows entry into a universally recognized and respected institution, and avoids the inequities fostered by creating separate laws just for a minority group.

GLAD has created a guide to New Hampshire civil unions (pdf). The publication explains the process for obtaining a civil union (once they become available in January, 2008), the rights and protections civil unions will - and will not - convey, and information to help New Hampshire same-sex couples determine whether or not a civil union is the right step for them.

Take a look, and let us hear your feedback. Do you have further questions? What will civil unions mean for New Hampshire?

Let's keep moving forward toward full equality!

Equal Marriage in the News

Today at 4pm NPR's All Things Considered presents a segment on civil unions, and the fact that more couples are saying "thanks, but no thanks!" to what they see as a second-class substitute for the real deal. You can listen live at wbur.org

You can also read some interesting coverage of Monday's court case in the Hartford Courant:

A Word that Also Divides Us
A Look at the Couples Challenging Connecticut's Marriage Laws
Arguing Over a Word