[Vision2020] Civil Union, Marriage and Couples

Sat, 7 Feb 2004 08:10:26 EST

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All:

Vermont passed a civil union law that allows gay couples to have legal 
recognition of their relationship and the legal benefits that confers, but the union 
is not called "marriage."  Some people want to follow this model in other 
states, allowing civil unions but not "marriage" in the full legal sense for gay 
couples.  This might keep the people who are uneasy with gay marriage a bit 
more calm.  What the exact legal difference is between a civil union and 
marriage I am not exactly sure.  We need a lawyer for that one, with tax, debt, 
property and asset, child custody and adultery law involved.  If there was no legal 
difference except in terminology it seems rather silly.

Massachusetts right NOW, due to very recent court rulings, if I understand 
the court rulings correctly, allows gay marriage in the full legal sense.  Thus 
President Bush clamoring for a constitutional amendment that would ban any 
state from legalizing gay MARRIAGE, being pushed as we speak from one of Bush's 
prime political power bases, fundamentalist right wing Christians.  Sound 
familiar?

But the laws in some states recognize some legal rights for couples when two 
people have lived together for a long time and helped each other in various 
ways, even when there has been no marriage or civil union, and I do not mean 
common law marriage.  So in some states if John and Larry have lived together for 
5 years acting as though they are just best friends, and John pays the bills 
while Larry gets his law degree subsequently buying a million dollar house 
with his sign on bonus to Daddy War Bucks Law Firm, courts will recognize that 
John should get some goodies back from Larry if Larry now decides that marrying 
Jane will look better to his new law firm partners, leaving John in the gutter.

Ted Moffett

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<HTML>
 All:
 
 Vermont passed a civil union law that allows gay couples to have legal r=
ecognition of their relationship and the legal benefits that confers, but th=
e union is not called "marriage." &nbsp;Some people want to follow this mode=
l in other states, allowing civil unions but not "marriage" in the full lega=
l sense for gay couples. &nbsp;This might keep the people who are uneasy wit=
h gay marriage a bit more calm. &nbsp;What the exact legal difference is bet=
ween a civil union and marriage I am not exactly sure. &nbsp;We need a lawye=
r for that one, with tax, debt, property and asset, child custody and adulte=
ry law involved. &nbsp;If there was no legal difference except in terminolog=
y it seems rather silly.
 
 Massachusetts right NOW, due to very recent court rulings, if I understa=
nd the court rulings correctly, allows gay marriage in the full legal sense.=
 &nbsp;Thus President Bush clamoring for a constitutional amendment that wou=
ld ban any state from legalizing gay MARRIAGE, being pushed as we speak from=
 one of Bush's prime political power bases, fundamentalist right wing Christ=
ians. &nbsp;Sound familiar?
 
 But the laws in some states recognize some legal rights for couples when=
 two people have lived together for a long time and helped each other in var=
ious ways, even when there has been no marriage or civil union, and I do not=
 mean common law marriage. &nbsp;So in some states if John and Larry have li=
ved together for 5 years acting as though they are just best friends, and Jo=
hn pays the bills while Larry gets his law degree subsequently buying a mill=
ion dollar house with his sign on bonus to Daddy War Bucks Law Firm, courts=20=
will recognize that John should get some goodies back from Larry if Larry no=
w decides that marrying Jane will look better to his new law firm partners,=20=
leaving John in the gutter.
 
 Ted Moffett</HTML>

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