united civilly!
I am very excited that NJ has become the third state to allow civil unions. It wasn't until I became engaged that I started thinking about the importance of civil unions... you know that stage when you want everyone to do what you are doing because it's so great? (Lucky has a friend who loves to do this... although he still hasn't convinced Lucky to go kiteboarding). I realized that some of my friends who were in loving stable relationships could never be officially together. Just because they were gay?
There is a separation between church and state. So it should be easy to understand that marriage/civil union through the government is not the same as receiving the marital sacrament. But for some reason, many can't get past that. ARGGG.
Anyways, now there's a competition going down with who is going to be the first couple to be united under the new bill (If Lambertville's mayor will officiate the initial union, it will be a lesbian couple who wants to remain anonymous... like that will stay long!). I'm not sure I'd want to be in the first one... the Vermont couple who was the first couple in the US to be civilly united have now separated; and the whole world knows about it!
How will civil unions affect NJ heterosexuals? So far the only thing I can come up with is this... many mayors have said that they will not perform civil unions because it conflicts with their religious beliefs. That's just fine because mayors are not required to perform any ceremonies. However, if they only do traditional weddings and not civil unions, they are violating anti-discrimination laws and can be removed from office. So... if you are planning on getting married in NJ by a mayor, make sure they are doing civil unions... or you might be left at the altar by a government official!
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