Left at the Altar: Differentiating the Benefits of Marriage, Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships

Throughout the US, families headed by same-sex couples daily experience the consequences, in large and small ways, of being denied access to civil marriage. Mainstream debate about the legalization of marriage for same-sex couples often blurs the critical distinction between civil marriage and relig...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inDiversity Factor (Online) Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 5
Main Author Suffredini, Kara S
Format Trade Publication Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Philadelphia Diversity Factor 01.01.2005
Subjects
Adoption
Civil law
Civil unions
Couples
Divorce
Domestic partners
Equal rights
Families & family life
Gays & lesbians
Inheritances
Parents & parenting
Personal relationships
Religion
Same sex marriage
Social conditions & trends
Social security
State court decisions
State laws
Workers compensation
United States > US
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Summary:Throughout the US, families headed by same-sex couples daily experience the consequences, in large and small ways, of being denied access to civil marriage. Mainstream debate about the legalization of marriage for same-sex couples often blurs the critical distinction between civil marriage and religious marriage. Religious marriage is regulated by faith traditions, with complete autonomy to determine what marriages they will perform or recognize, independent of what marriages civil law recognizes. Civil marriage is a legal status that automatically confers 1,138 federal rights and benefits and hundreds of additional state rights and benefits. Historically, civil marriages performed in any state have been honored by both the federal government and other states. However, the federal Defense of Marriage Act, enacted in 1996, defines civil marriage for purposes of federal law as the union of one man and one woman. Some state and local governments, as well as many private entities, extend limited relationship recognition in the form of civil unions or domestic partnerships.
ISSN:1545-2808