That would depend upon the state. In Vermont, it is nearly the same as marriage, except in name. In other states, it may include only those legal rights and privileges that two unrelated persons may obtain in relation to one another or a household, such as power of attorney, without including anything peculiar to marriage, such as claims over non- explicitly commingled assets. The main thing, I think, is that it permits a distinction while accommodating, on a compassionate basis, the couple.
I am not laying anything at the feet of the gay community, I am discussing what one might call "social ecology", and the respect that ought to extend to beliefs that are reasonable and widely held, even if disputable........ |
