Civil unions news stories on Newser

Rhode Island Recognizes Out-of-State Gay Marriages

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:40:06 CDT

Good news for gay Rhode Islanders who marry out of state: Their marriages are now legally acknowledged back home, the AP reports. Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed the order today in a Statehouse ceremony, granting gay married couples many rights—including insurance coverage for the spouses of state employees and the...

North Carolina Gay Marriage Ban Likely to Pass Today

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:56:02 CDT

North Carolina heads to the polls today, and the ballot issue getting the most attention is the state’s proposed ban on gay marriage . Though same-sex marriage has gotten some high-level support in the past few days, supporters of the amendment have been marching and running ads of their own urging...

Civil Unions Now Legal in Delaware

Kevin Spak — Thu, 12 May 2011 06:48:05 CDT

Governor Jack Markell signed a law granting same-sex couples the right to form civil unions in Delaware last night, in a packed and celebratory event at the Queen Theatre in Wilmington. “Tonight, we say to loving and committed couples across the state … ‘Your love is equally valid and deserving,...

NY Prisons OK Same-Sex Conjugal Visits

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 02:43:00 CDT

New York prisons will now officially allow gay inmates to receive conjugal visits from same-sex partners—so long as the couple are in a civil union or same-sex marriages. The new rules will also allow a partner to take a prison furlough if their lover is terminally ill, reports the...

For 1st Time, Most Americans Back Gay Marriage

John Johnson — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:14:05 CDT

A new survey from ABC and the Washington Post suggests a milestone for gay rights: More than half of Americans—53% to be exact—say gay men and women should be able to legally marry. It's the first time the percentage has cracked the 50% mark in almost 10 years...

Finally, Obama Looks Ready to Back Gay Marriage

John Johnson — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:40:26 CDT

President Obama officially opposes gay marriage, but it looks like that's going to change soon, writes Dan Amira at the Daily Intel blog at New York. Obama told liberal bloggers yesterday that "attitudes evolve, including mine," and that while he's not prepared to reverse himself at the moment, "it's fair...

Texas Accidentally Bans Straight Marriage

Kevin Spak — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:28:00 CST

The geniuses who wrote Texas’ gay marriage ban may have accidentally banned all marriage in the state, according to one Houston lawyer. Subsection B of the ban, a constitutional amendment ratified in 2005, states, “This state…may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.” The intent...

How Prop 8 Could Help Everyone

Kevin Spak — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:28:39 CDT

Proposition 8 could turn out to be a win-win for everyone, “if we can stop all the shouting,” writes Douglas Kmiec, a Catholic, pro-Obama Republican law professor. The California Supreme Court’s ruling “is as inconsistent as it is incomplete,” declaring that gay couples must be given equal treatment, and that...

Conn. Becomes 3rd State to OK Gay Marriage

Nick McMaster — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:27:13 CDT

Connecticut today became the third state to legalize gay marriage, after Massachusetts and California. In a 4-3 ruling, the state supreme court said civil unions are discriminatory because they violate the equal protection clause of the state constitution, the Hartford Courant reports. Although she disagrees, Gov. Jodi Rell said, "The...