Marriage and civil unions
 

To many people, marriage is not only a sacred word, but a sacred joining of two people for eternity. To others, marriage is merely a government institution that grants people access to certain, sometimes special, rights. These rights include joint property, custody of the children, visitation rights, and even accepting joint responsibility for debt.

A civil union is a legally recognised partnership between two persons, similar to marriage. Civil unions were created to grant gay, lesbian, and transgendered couples access to similar benefits enjoyed by straight, married couples. A civil union is similar to or the same as civil partnerships, registered partnerships and domestic partnerships. Some jurisdictions have unions that are almost identical to marriage for same-sex couples, the most prominent difference being the name of the institution.

The amount of benefits, rights, obligations and responsibility granted by civil unions varies depending on the laws of the country, and in many instances only some of the rights and responsibilities of marriage are offered. Because of this, civil unions are often viewed as 'separate but equal", since many same-sex couples are not allowed to marry. Many people are critical to civil unions because of the belief that they are simply marriage given another name, but civil unions are less often viewed as equal to marriage in the gay community.

Many companies and employers may not recognise civil unions, whereas they are required by law to recognise marriage. Some companies have polices that specifically exclude civil unions or domestic partnerships, while others provide coverage for those who share a home, regardless of gender or relationship.

Marriage is just a word, but it is a powerful word with legal standing. Civil unions are legal in some areas, but in others they are not even recognised, and gay marriage is punishable by imprisonment or death in some parts of the world. Many in the gay community want to be able to marry for many reasons, some personal and some practical, but almost always to enjoy the same rights as straight married couples.