- Good news from the Equality Delaware pages. SB 30, which I reportred on earlier HERE, passed the Delaware Senate. Now it is on the House. Again a goodly group of clergy and la people from Sussex County came to the meeting. We sat in the balcony for four hours to affirm that ministers from various faith communities stood (Or in this case sat) in support. Here is the announcement:
As noted in DelawareOnline: By a 2-to-1 margin, the Delaware Senate passed the state's first civil unions bill.
Now - it's on the Delaware House of Representatives
Senate Bill 30* was considered by the Senate on Thursday, April 7. By the end of the day's session, the Senate had passed the bill without amendment. Two amendments had been offered by Senator Venables. The first amendment attempted to make the legislation contingent on a public referendum and the second would have allowed opposite sex couples and family members to join together in a civil union. Both were defeated.
*Delaware’s "Civil Union and Equality Act of 2011," S.B. 30, would allow same-gender couples to have the rights and responsibilities on the state level that accrue to opposite-sex marriage.
Senate Bill 30* was considered by the Senate on Thursday, April 7. By the end of the day's session, the Senate had passed the bill without amendment. Two amendments had been offered by Senator Venables. The first amendment attempted to make the legislation contingent on a public referendum and the second would have allowed opposite sex couples and family members to join together in a civil union. Both were defeated.
*Delaware’s "Civil Union and Equality Act of 2011," S.B. 30, would allow same-gender couples to have the rights and responsibilities on the state level that accrue to opposite-sex marriage.
I have mixed feelings over the "separate not equal" aspects of civil unions, or the idea that we have to "earn" marriage.
ReplyDeleteyes, something is better than nothing, but not if we never get beyond it. I fear very much that states with CU/DPs will never get beyond them.
And interestingly, as the federal govt lurches towards SOME recognition of Same Sex couples, thanks to DOMA probably married same sex couples won't be eligible.
Thanks be to the God of all Delaware!
ReplyDeleteKeep on doing. Vermont with the first civil union law which was earth-shattering eleven years ago adopted marriage equality in 2010. The one thing the legislature did not do which bothers me is automatically convert CUs to marriages so that a couple that was joined in a CU then has to go through a marriage ceremony to be called married. MA, on the other hand, automatically converted CUs to marriages.
ReplyDeleteGo Delaware! And, KEEP GOING!!
ReplyDeleteThis is huge. HUGE! And, everyone knows it's the first step to Marriage Equality, which, hopefully,will not take 11 years.
ReplyDeleteOnward. And, thanks, Mark.
This is huge. HUGE! And, everyone knows it's the first step to Marriage Equality, which, hopefully,will not take 11 years.
ReplyDeleteOnward. And, thanks, Mark.