Gay Marriage vs. Civil Union

The age old debate: civil unions vs. gay marriage. This is delving further than just, ‘Should gays be allowed to be married’. I live in New Jersey, one of the three states in the US who legalized Civil Unions. But that’s all they are, ‘unions’, not ‘marriages’. I wrote this article for my school paper in the Pro/Con section, and I thought I’d share it with you. I’m aware this is a very liberal, pro same-sex marriage site, so I’ll say my piece, but feel free to disagree. But if you do, please give some actual reasoning.


America constantly tries to project an image of advancement, of tolerance and open-mindedness to the world community. We criticize countries that oppress their women and minorities and those that do not allow for equality in society.
It is discouraging, then, that there is even a question about whether homosexual civil unions should be called marriage. Known for its liberal forward thinking, it is an embarrassment that New Jersey refuses to call civil unions “marriage.�
For years, gay couples have been campaigning for the same rights as married couples, but only last year did Governor Corzine sign the bill into law. The state supreme court’s ruling that gay couples should enjoy equal rights as heterosexual couples was a breakthrough in American history, making my state the third to offer civil unions. The court, however, put too much faith into the common sense of their fellow man when it added that lawmakers could ultimately decide whether to call the civil unions “marriage.�
It comes down to a word.
According to The American Heritage Dictionary, the meaning is, “The legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife.� Before one dismisses the entire issue by claiming that we cannot change the definition of a word, take a moment to reflect on another word that has changed with history.
Every year, many words are amended in the dictionary because times change. “Voting,� according to the Constitution, was originally reserved only for white male adult property owners. When Susan B. Anthony won the woman’s right to vote in 1920, lawmakers did not say, “Fine, you can vote, but we’re calling you ‘President-Choosers,’ not ‘voters.’ A ‘voter’ has already been established as a white male adult landowner.�
Voting was only at first reserved for white male adult landowners because in that time period, women and blacks were not equal to men. When times changed, when people understood that this was wrong, that we were all equal, the word “voting� changed to accommodate them.
The word “marriage,� created before it was even acceptable to be openly gay, originally did not even consider the thought of same-sex marriages. By not allowing the word “marriage� to change now that we understand that gay couples are equal to straight couples, we are stuck in the past. The difference unnecessarily creates a divide in our society, a dangerous one that continues to segregate and put down efforts to have a fully tolerant nation.
Even the majority of people in New Jersey approve of the change from civil unions for homosexuals to marriage. According to an independent poll by Zogby International commissioned in 2005, New Jerseyans favor marriage for gay couples 56 percent to 39 percent. Clearly, if the people could choose, they would call it marriage.
Homosexuals in New Jersey today are not yet treated as our equals. While the new legislation allowing civil unions brought us right up to the door of equality, we cannot pass through that entranceway until we ensure equal rights for all. In addition to all legal rights, marriage must be the mutual promise to love, comfort, honor and keep each other for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health – regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation.