Another gay-friendly law coming into effect in 2012: civil unions are now legal in Delaware and Hawaii. Remember in 2004 when John Kerry was in favor of civil unions, and that was painted as the extreme liberal position? It's funny, because Obama's technically only a civil-union guy himself, yet the dynamic has changed so much since then that they now seem kind of tame and middle-of-the-road.
Sure, it would be nice if the new laws were for real marriage rights, but civil unions can't be overlooked as an important stepping stone; especially since these two states mean that over one-fifth of the country now endorses some kind of legal union for gay couples (five with civil unions, six and DC with marriage). Imagine how big of a deal it would seem if one-fifth of the country legalized pot tomorrow.
And for those of you who just can't help but see civil unions as a lame half-measure, I'll give the Hawaii Family Forum (three guesses where they stand on the issue) the last word: "a vote for civil unions is a vote for same-sex marriage."
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