Same-Sex Marriage
| Links to States: California, Canada, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington & Wisconsin | ||||||
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By Richard Molling
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A symbol of equality... The White Knot is the symbol for marriage equality. It takes two traditional symbols of marriage—white and tying the knot—and combines them in a simple way to show support for the right of gays and lesbians to marry. All loving couples deserve the same legal rights, benefits, and respect that civil marriage bestows. Visibility is the goal. Whether you are gay or straight, please show your support by wearing the knot and telling people why you are wearing it. It may seem like a small thing, but imagine the white knot gaining the pervasiveness and instant recognition of the AIDS Ribbon. Wear your white knot to work, to school, to your place of worship. Celebrities will be wearing white knots down red carpets this awards season. Together, we will keep the topic at the top of people's minds and keep the conversation going.
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Domestic Partnerships and Same Sex MarriagesVarious links to news and cases about domestic partnerships and marriage for same-sex couples sponsored by: Carnegie Mellon University Information
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This site provides 100 tips about gay marriage. The topics range from gay marriage facts and statistics to gay marriage laws by state and country to gay marriage adoption and divorce. | ||||||
Articles about marriage and relationships, from the Independent Gay Forum collection.
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 InternationalCommitment Ceremonies Registrar™ All Couples Welcome! The International Commitment Ceremonies Registry (ICCR) is an official organization that collects and stores searchable records of Commitment Ceremonies that have been performed all over the world. The ICCR provides Commitment Ceremonies Registration Services. This service is used to create a permanent historical record of one the most important events in a couples life. Many governments do not recognize these unions. The ICCR was created to recognize all these unions on an international level. You can have your commitment registered by ordering a commitment ceremony certificate in the Certificate Center. | ||||||
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It began when a lesbian couple were searching the net for ideas and information when planning their own wedding... They came across many wonderful sites, but found they were scattered everywhere and difficult to find. That's how the idea of our own queer wedding webring came about. Some sites contain a couple's perspective on their special day, and are wonderfully uplifting. These are a valuable resource for those planning their own ceremonies. By joining our sites together we can express our pride and show that true love occurs all over this planet, without regard to gender or current laws. Other sites are commercial businesses that are *exclusively* for or about gay and lesbian weddings. These businesses are there to help you make your wedding day as fabulous as possible. | ||||||
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Religious Support for Equal Marriage Rights Marriage information supplied by" | ||||||
SAME-SEX MARRIAGES (SSM) & CIVIL UNIONS All Sides to the Issue
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Same-Sex Marriage By Rachel Miller | ||||||
| SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGES!
Category: Gay, Lesbian & Bi Type: Public Membership | ||||||
State & Local Organizations | ||||||
 Repeal Prop 8: Restore marriage equality to CaliforniaSign the pledge to build the Marriage Equality MovementThe birth of a new Marriage Equality Movement -- the civil rights movement of the 21st Century -- is unfolding before our eyes. Movements are visceral and popular, often borne of outrage and anger. What we are witnessing on the streets and online is a community of people who have come together to say: "These are our lives. This is our time. This is unacceptable." Organized from the bottom-up by thousands of ordinary people just like you, this people-powered phenomenon is exponentially growing by the minute, online and offline. This is our moment to stand strong together -- gay and straight -- and say that we refuse to accept a California where discrimination is enshrined in our state constitution. Please show your support by pledging to support our campaign to repeal Prop 8 and restore marriage equality to California. Please sign the pledge to repeal Prop 8 -- then forward this link to your friends: | ||||||
| D O M E S T I C P A R T N E R S R E G I S T R Y Provisions governing domestic partnerships are found in the California Family Code, commencing with section 297. A domestic partnership is established when persons meeting the criteria specified by Family Code section 297 file a Declaration of Domestic Partnership (Form NP/SF DP-1) with the Secretary of State. A copy of the declaration and a Certificate of Registration of Domestic Partnership will be returned to the partners after the declaration is filed.
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The Hawai`i Gay Marriage Bureau
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What is the scope of couples' rights as "Reciprocal Beneficiaries" in Hawaii? This is not an easy question to answer. In broad terms, RB couples have all the rights of marriage that Hawaii can grant as a state, except anything to do with family court (alimony, divorce, child custody resolution, etc.) and fair access to health insurance. There are NO federal benefits (social security, federal income tax deduction, immigration, immunity from testifying against your partner in federal court, etc.) We've written a 200-page book listing the laws. To help people digest this book, we've also prepared three summaries of progressively shorter lengths. All four texts are available here. Please consult an attorney for the interpretation of any of this material, particularly the summaries.
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| Reciprocal Beneficiary Relationships A reciprocal beneficiary relationship is a legal partnership between two people who are prohibited from marriage (HRS §572C-2). Certain rights and benefits which are presently available only to married couples are extended to the two individuals who enter into a reciprocal beneficiary relationship. Those persons entering into a reciprocal beneficiary relationship must register their relationship as reciprocal beneficiaries with the Department of Health. The Department of Health is responsible only for registering the relationship. The Department of Health neither makes any determination of the validity of the reciprocal beneficiary relationship nor is an information source on the rights and benefits extended to reciprocal beneficiaries.
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MassEquality.org is a coalition of local and national organizations defending equal marriage rights for
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The Law of Domestic Partnership About usStarted in January, 2004, NJDomesticPartnership.com has become the number 1 source of information on the New Jersey Domestic Partnership Act and on legal issues affecting same-sex couples in the New Jersey area.
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The Wedding Party is an all volunteer nonprofit* organization that supports and celebrates same-sex partnership, and educates the public on the need for equal marriage rights. The Wedding Party is comprised of skilled professionals in the areas of marketing, media, special events and the law. We produce unique, high profile events that bring the community together to give testimony on a national level to the importance of family, commitment and equality. | ||||||
Western Pennsylvania Freedom to Marry CoalitionBecause marriage is a basic human right and individual personal choice, The marriage resolution | ||||||
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Vermont Civil Union Resource Guide What to do and see when you go to Vermont for a civil union. | ||||||
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The Vermont Guide to
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The Legal Marriage Alliance of Washington (LMA) is a nonprofit organization educating the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered community and the general public on how to advance the civil right of same-sex couples to legal marriage. We serve as a resource for same sex marriage information in Washington state. We offer speakers, resource materials, volunteer opportunities, and a public voice for the freedom to marry. LMA was founded in October 1995.
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Fair Wisconsin and the Fair Wisconsin Education Fund Fair Wisconsin has two divisions: Fair Wisconsin is a statewide organization dedicated to advancing and protecting the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. We carry out this mission through education, legislative advocacy, grassroots organizing, coalition-building and electoral involvement. These efforts are designed to educate the general voting public, sensitize the media, promote a politically active and effective organizational membership, and better inform policy makers on issues of concern to our members. The Fair Wisconsin Education Fund (FWEF) aims to educate the public about the consequences of anti-LGBT discrimination and foster civic engagement around issues of importance to LGBT equality. Fair Wisconsin and FWEF were originally known as Action Wisconsin and the Action Wisconsin Eduction Fund. In March 2006, Action Wisconsin first launched Fair Wisconsin as the political campaign that worked to fight a constitutional amendment banning marriage and civil unions for gay couples that appeared on the November 2006 statewide ballot. Following the election, with input from statewide supporters, leaders of Action Wisconsin and AWEF decided to officially change the names of both organizations to Fair Wisconsin and FWEF. Action Wisconsin was founded in 1994, and the Action Wisconsin Education Fund was founded in 2002. | ||||||
