The Status of the Gay Rights Movement Today

The gay rights movement today is still similar to what it was when it first started; still in need of widespread support and has a long road ahead of itself. Although the gay rights movement had a brief shining moment on May 17, 2004 when the state of Massachusetts legalized marriage between homosexual couples, the movement still has a long way to go. Some fear the movement may be running out of steam. Here will be a discussion on what has been happening in the gay rights movement in the last couple of years and its repercussions for both sides of the spectrum.

Since the landmark decision in the Massachusetts Supreme Court in 2004, the movement has had only a few successes and several defeats. In October of 2005, the state of Connecticut legalized Civil Unions for homosexual couples. Civil Unions are most closely related to marriage for homosexual couples but are far different in the eyes of the Federal government. While marriage allows for several hundred different rights such as tax breaks and child custody rights, Civil Unions only allow limited benefits such as healthcare benefits at the state level only.

Civil Union status is not "portable" meaning it cannot be carried over state lines like a legal marriage can. In December of 2006, New Jersey also legalized Civil Unions bringing the total number of states that have legalized Civil Unions to three; three out of 49 states. (Not including Massachusetts as they have already legalized marriage) However, on January 1, 2008 the state of New Hampshire will be the fourth state to legalize Civil Unions.

Other victories for the gay community include a February 2005 ruling in the New York Supreme Court that states banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, an April and May 2007 decision by the Washington and Oregon legislature's respectively allowing domestic partnerships and Polk County Iowa granting marriage licenses to homosexual couples. Just recently, the Maryland Supreme Court overturned a decision by a lower court that banned marriage between people of the same sex.