The LGBTQ civil rights movement in the United States has been at its highest, and most impactful for the past half-century. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) case, Obergefell v. Hodges might have been the case to legalize same-sex marriage but the importance truly lies in the cases that paved the road for the memorable victory of this SCOTUS case. One of the most important cases is from the state of Massachusetts, Goodridge v. Department of Public Health. In the year 2003, the state of Massachusetts was the first state in the US to legalize same-sex marriage. Some states, at this time, only allowed same-sex couples to have civil unions. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a civil union is a legal relationship between
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It was important to understand that the arguments of civil unions vs. marriage had the same ideology of “separate but equal”. Same-sex couples were not given the legal recognition of marriage, but instead the title of a civil union with benefits “similar” to marriage. Civil unions also did not guarantee that their legal commitment to one another would be recognized in other states. “Marriage, the legally recognized union of a man and a woman as partners in a relationship” ("Definition of Marriage in English”). Marriage was a legal right given to heterosexual couples, and homosexual couples deserved the same. The rhetoric regarding civil unions was about it having a different name but having the same social recognition. It was obvious that there was a separate by equal feeling towards civil unions and marriage. It was a shame that the US was repeating its history. “Separate but equal” was decided unconstitutional by the SCOTUS case Brown v. Board in 1954, yet states were using the same rhetoric to describe civil unions. According to public opinion polls, in 2004 only 42% believed same-sex couples should be recognized by the law and have the same rights as traditional marriages (“Marriage.”). This poll proves that the courts, and the majority of the nation, were in a mental state of “separate but equal”, like once
It was important to understand that the arguments of civil unions vs. marriage had the same ideology of “separate but equal”. Same-sex couples were not given the legal recognition of marriage, but instead the title of a civil union with benefits “similar” to marriage. Civil unions also did not guarantee that their legal commitment to one another would be recognized in other states. “Marriage, the legally recognized union of a man and a woman as partners in a relationship” ("Definition of Marriage in English”). Marriage was a legal right given to heterosexual couples, and homosexual couples deserved the same. The rhetoric regarding civil unions was about it having a different name but having the same social recognition. It was obvious that there was a separate by equal feeling towards civil unions and marriage. It was a shame that the US was repeating its history. “Separate but equal” was decided unconstitutional by the SCOTUS case Brown v. Board in 1954, yet states were using the same rhetoric to describe civil unions. According to public opinion polls, in 2004 only 42% believed same-sex couples should be recognized by the law and have the same rights as traditional marriages (“Marriage.”). This poll proves that the courts, and the majority of the nation, were in a mental state of “separate but equal”, like once