Legally-recognized unions

President Obama supports federal rights of marriage for all "legally-recognized unions" (I think this term was invented by his campaign) regardless of title, marriage, civil union or domestic partnership. Cleverly, he has avoided calling federal marriage rights anything. He want to leave it up to the states to create the label. Currently, "legally-recognized unions" would cover 14 states. California law says that all laws, regulations and court decisions which apply to spouses in a marriage equally applies to registered domestic partnerships. If the President's suggestion was passed by Congress then we Californians would have true marriage equality, all of the rights of marriage, both state and federal, under the title of domestic partnerships.

Unfortunately, Congressman Nadler of New York is introducing a bill to grant federal marriage rights only to same-sex couples who are married.(DOMA Repeal Plan Disappoints Local Activists ,Bay Area Reporter, 9/17/2009) Currently that covers only 5 states and would totally screw the western US as California, Washington, Oregon and Nevada have domestic partnerships and Hawaii and Colorado have another form of recognition. Since Nadler's bill is all about the M word and not about rights, it has zero chance of passage. Even Barney Frank has refused to sign on as a co-sponsor.

Adopting the President's "legally-recognized unions" might (might) give the bill more chance of passage because same-sex marriage, per se, has never won an election, 33 losses so far. "Legally-recognized unions" would also cover millions more people. Tell your representatives you want federal marriage rights legislation which will cover all "legally-recognized unions" and not just married couples by going to 3 Clicks for Equality.