Happy National Freedom to Marry Day, everyone! And that means everyone: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight. We figured with Valentine’s Day approaching we’d give you a bit of a rundown on just how state-sanctioned your love is depending on if you live in a commonwealth, state or district. This year’s NFMD brings mixed news for gay couples wanting to enjoy wedded bliss, or at least all the swag from their Crate and Barrel registry.
The goal of the day, conceived by D.C.-based Lamba Legal in 1999, has proven elusive as officials try to parse the tricky status of marriage and groups on both sides make it a defining issue for national parties and candidates. Looking back on 2006, it’s clear Americans are terribly worried about who’s married, who’s not and what that says about everyone’s values.
In many ways the Washington Metro area is a perfect microcosm of the country, where in one 30-minute drive a couple can alternately form a domestic partnership, have their legal union nullified or settle down and wait, like the majority of the country, for lawmakers or courts to determine their fate. Anyone for a road trip?
Let’s start in the District, where gay couples enjoy the greatest rights and recognition. Any couple, hetero- or homosexual, can register for a domestic partnership, granting them almost the full card of marriage-related rights. D.C. government employees can even get health benefits for their partners. Council member Jim Graham (D- Ward 1) calls it “civil unions in all but name.” But of course, like many of D.C.’s best laid plans, our Congressional big brothers have jumped in to voice their opinions when progressive measures pop up, often threatening to delay or yank federal dollars from the city’s budget if the line isn’t toed properly. Mayor Williams always voiced strong support for gay rights, but was forced to tone it down a few times to escape a Republican Congress’s scrutiny. In 2005 a move to allow gay couples legally married in other jurisdictions to file their D.C. taxes jointly was given the kibosh after Sen. Sam Brownback (R- Kansas) ever-so-subtly voiced his concern.
Photo by Flickr user buschap used under Creative Commons license.
