I've read many times here on DU that marriage equality is not that important because gay people "can always have civil unions."
This is a list of reasons why that isn't true. It may open some eyes (including those of Elton John, who isn't even an American citizen and doesn't know what he's talking about regarding U.S. laws):
http://marriageequalitynow.com/goal/Civil Unions are not recognizedTo date, civil unions only exist in Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey and New Hampshire. California, Washington, Oregon and the District of Columbia offer domestic partnerships which are similar to civil unions. That means
in 86% of the United States, gay couples have no rights at all.Furthermore, creating a new legal structure invites confusion and discrimination. Couples cannot be assured that rights they enjoyed in one state will not be taken away when they move from state to state.
Civil Unions do not provide the full suite of benefits to same-sex couplesHere is a list of benefits that are afforded to heterosexual marriages that are denied to same-sex couples:
1. Joint parental rights of children
2. Joint adoption
3. Status as “next-of-kin” for hospital visits and medical decisions
4. Right to make a decision about the disposal of loved ones remains
5. Immigration and residency for partners from other countries
6. Crime victims recovery benefits
7. Domestic violence protection orders
8. Judicial protections and immunity
9. Automatic inheritance in the absence of a will
10. Public safety officers death benefits
11. Spousal veterans benefits
12. Social Security
13. Medicare
14. Joint filing of tax returns
15. Wrongful death benefits for surviving partner and children
16. Bereavement or sick leave to care for partner or children
17. Child support
18. Joint Insurance Plans
19. Tax credits including: Child tax credit, Hope and lifetime learning credits
20. Deferred Compensation for pension and IRAs
21. Estate and gift tax benefits
22. Welfare and public assistance
23. Joint housing for elderly
24. Credit protection
25. Medical care for survivors and dependents of certain veterans
Whether or not a civil union provides such benefits varies state-by-state. Lambda legal has identified more than 1400 benefits afforded to heterosexual couples today.
Civil Unions are based on an immoral premiseCivil unions are a legal fiction invented to keep gays separate but equal. Similar social structures were created along ethnic lines before they were declared illegal.
Enemies of marriage equality argue that civil unions prevent marriage from being ‘redefined’, yet they themselves ignore the fact that marriage has been profoundly redefined. America redefined marriage to grant slaves the right to marry. It added womens’ property rights to marriage. Almost 50 years ago, America legalized interracial marriage.
Civil Unions violate the spirit of our constitutionThe Supreme Court of Massachusetts agrees with us.
Courts define what is constitutionally permissible, and the Massachusetts Constitution does not permit this type of labeling. That there may remain personal residual prejudice against same-sex couples is a proposition all too familiar to other disadvantaged groups. That such prejudice exists is not a reason to insist on less than the Constitution requires
The Supreme Court of Connecticut Agrees with us.
We conclude that, in light of the history of pernicious discrimination faced by gay men and lesbians, and because the institution of marriage carries with it a status and significance that the newly created classification of civil unions does not embody, the segregation of heterosexual and homosexual couples into separate institutions constitutes a cognizable harm
And the Supreme Court of California agrees with us.
there can be no doubt that extending the designation of marriage to same-sex couples, rather than denying it to all couples, is the equal protection remedy that is most consistent with our state’s general legislative policy and preference
To date, no Supreme Court has found such laws legal. The so-called legal “victories” that supporters of constitutional discrimination advertise were won by stoking feelings of fear and bigotry in voters. Fortunately for America, it falls to the judiciary, not the masses, to protect the interests of the minority and ensure consistency with our founding principles.