By Margeaux Lippman
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Photo by: Jeffrey Hamilton
With November elections on the horizon, presidential candidates are traveling the country and promoting their platforms to earn the coveted seat in the White House. California's recent decision to allow same-sex marriage opens the door for us to find out what issues are really at stake when it comes to the legality of marriage.
Some states allow marriage, others allow unions. What's the difference?
California's decision to allow same-sex marriage makes it only the second state in the union to grant marriage licenses to homosexual couples — the other state being Massachusetts. Other states such as Vermont and New Hampshire allow civil unions for same-sex couples, granting them all of the rights and privileges of a married couple. Further still, states like Maine and Hawaii have legal unions that grant only portions of the rights given to married heterosexual couples. However, these measures are within states only. This means that none of the 1,138 federal rights that are granted to straight couples apply to couples of the same sex.
What's at stake? What rights are on the line?
Plenty of rights are up for grabs when it comes to marriage. For instance, a husband can place his wife as a beneficiary of his health insurance. However, same-sex couples aren't granted that benefit in many cases. Also, if your partner is hospitalized, you can be barred from visiting them or making vital decisions on their behalf — all because you're not married due to your sexual orientation.
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