Are civil unions good enough or must it be gay marriage?

What's the difference? What are the advantages, or what is the importance, of one vs. the other?


It seems like a lot of people would be comfortable with civil unions affording all the legal rights married heterosexuals have so long as it isn't called ';marriage';. Is this just semantics or is there a real difference?


What are your thoughts on this?


I'm genuinely curious about this issue and PLEASE no stupid gay bashing answers. Thank you!Are civil unions good enough or must it be gay marriage?
If, and only if, it offered all the rights and privileges of marriage across the entire U S including the 1000 plus rights that straights take for granted I wouldn't care what you called it. Civil unions should be the law and religious marriages should be optional. The Christian Reich is so hot to keep marriage for itself give us the rights and call it whatever it wants. as long as everybody has to enter into a civil union I don't care about a religious unionAre civil unions good enough or must it be gay marriage?
Civil union is ';separate but equal';, and we know from experience that ';separate'; is never ';equal';. It doesn't carry the same degree of respect and recognition that ';marriage'; does. THAT'S why a lot of people want same-sex couples to shut up and accept ';civil union'; as a substitute for ';marriage';, because they don't believe that gay and lesbian couples deserve equal respect.





I'll take the legal rights of civil union if that's what I can get, for now -- and then still continue to fight for full equality and recognition as ';marriage';.
Civil unions provide the same rights as marriage, but instead of being called “marriage”, it’s called civil unions or in some places, domestic partnerships.





Civil unions are better than nothing. They have civil unions in the UK, and they don't complain. As long we have the same rights, I really don't care about what it's called, that's just getting petty. Here in the US, it seems that most gay Americans insist on having gay marriage.
Whether the seats in the front of the bus are for some people while the seats in the back are for others, one water fountain is for some people while another water fountain is for others, or a marriage license is for some people while a ';Civil Union'; or ';Domestic Partnership'; is for others, all employ the same discriminatory reasoning of Separate but Equal.





According to the General Accounting Office of the United States, there are 1,049 benefits, rights, and privileges only offered through legal marriage which is only recognized as between a man and a woman by the federal government.
Honey, unfortunately history is repeating itself.





Remember learning that some state governments in the 50's and 60's wanted to segregate schools. One for whites, and one for blacks. They would all receive the same type of education, yet they would be separate.





That's what the issue is......





Straight couples have marriages.


Gays and Lesbians have ';civil unions';.





That doesn't work....Never separate but equal.
I thought the courts already said that seperate but equal doesn't work.





';I have no problem with Homosexuality, I just think that they should be refused the RIGHT to get married'; is like saying ';I have no problems with Blacks, I just don't want to use the same toliet as us.....';





If people really do think that they are the same, than why not let them marry?





No, civil unions don't allow all of the rights that marry couples get. ;)
Of course NOT! If it has another name, then it means it's not the same law. Exactly the way it was with black people in the fifties when they had to sit at the back of the bus. Oh okay, they still were on the bus, but they could not use it the way white people did. It is UNCONSTITUTIONAL to give one right to somebody then deprive others from this same right. Separate but equal, one law for you and one law for me, that is not equal. And it is unconstitutional under the first amendment of the constitution that stipulates that every humans are equals. Period.





Fight for your rights and demand that this stupid proposition is banned for its unconstitutional nature. Do manifs in front of the Supreme Court and your governor's house, his office, walk the streets with signs, be heard, be seen, make noise! Don't go for second best when all everybody deserve is equal rights!
Are civil unions good enough for christians?





Are civil unions good enough for ANYone else..... besides gays??





No. It's not enough!!





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I wouldn't accept a civil union any more than I'd sit in the back of the bus.


I won't settle for anything less than equality.
As far as I know, the concept of ';separate but equal'; was ruled unconstitutional a long time ago. That should apply to all human beings - we are all EQUAL and should all have the same rights.
Separate but equal? You might as well have straight and gay drinking fountains, it's the same water, right?





I don't think so.
For me, its being equal. If straight couples can get married, why can't gay couples get married?
They're not identical, though depending on the State, a civil union or domestic partnership does include ';most'; of the benefits and responsibilities of marriage.





Still, examine some of the differences, and you'll see that they DO matter. Example: If I'm a parent and I get married, my spouse takes on legal responsibility for my child. If I'm a parent and I have a civil union with my ';partner,'; he/she has no obligation to my child. They're legally not related, unless they adopt the child. Another example: If I'm married, my spouse and I can file taxes jointly. In some states, couples in civil unions still have to file separately and pay higher taxes as a result. One more? If I'm married, and die, my ';half'; of the house goes to my spouse without him/her having to have it reassessed for a new tax value. If I'm in CU, when I die my half can be ';left'; to my partner, but the house will be reassessed as though the house had been sold or gifted to him/her...increasing the taxes to today's value. Quite a few financial and ethical disadvantages.





If civil unions are equal, why do we have marriage in the first place? Why wouldn't ';everybody'; qualify for a civil union? If CU are ';good enough'; for gays, ask your str8 friends to get divorced and instead go apply for a civil union. I'd be willing to bet they'll say -- ';No, it's not the same thing...We should be married. It's our right.'; Funny how it's fine for gays but not good enough for str8s.