Civil Unions: February 2008 Archives

New Jersey’s civil union law is making headlines as a result of a report released Tuesday by a 12-member commission looking into complaints that New Jersey’s civil union law creates “second-class citizenship.” The commission, composed of government, community and faith leaders, agrees with the findings of the report.  

In response to the commission’s findings, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine has signaled a willingness to sign a bill opening up marriage to gay and lesbian couples, but has said that he will not do so in an election year.  After Mayor Gavin Newsom made marriage a reality in San Francisco in 2004, national Democrats worried about going out on a limb on an issue that could be seen as controversial.  Corzine is suggesting that 2009 is a better time for the legislature to take up action on a marriage equality bill.

Since the law took effect, over 2,300 couples in New Jersey have entered into civil unions, but 568 couples have come forward to file complaints about problematic situations that have arisen from the law as it is currently structured.

Despite New Jersey’s commitment to equality, Gov. Corzine’s unwillingness to address the issue during such an important election year should raise concerns for lesbian and gay advocates, especially in contrast to the fair media coverage of the commission’s report.

Paul Karr is the Director of Media Field Strategy

In election coverage, the media too often wield a broad and fuzzy brush to paint the candidates' positions on legislation affecting the LGBT community. Pundit Tucker Carlson was using such a brush when discussing Republican candidate John McCain's position on civil unions during Thursday's episode of MSNBC's Live with Dan Abrams.  During a debate about whether McCain "flip-flopped" on his support of relationship recognition for gay and lesbian couples, Carlson asserted that McCain "has the same absurd position" as those politicians who support civil unions but not marriage equality.

Unfortunately, host Dan Abrams did not challenge Carlson with the reality that McCain has never clearly voiced support for civil unions. In fact, in April 2007, McCain told The New York Sun that he did not support New Hampshire's civil unions legislation. Furthermore, McCain backed Arizona's unsuccessful 2006 ballot initiative to deny gay residents the ability to marry and to block unmarried couples, gay and straight alike, from receiving government benefits.

Carlson's inaccurate and unchallenged contention that McCain supports civil unions reflects the tendency of some pundits and journalists to cursorily examine candidates' positions on issues affecting the LGBT community and make claims that don’t match up to the facts.

Throughout the election season, GLAAD will be reaching out to journalists to ensure that they employ accurate and thorough—rather than broad-brush—coverage of each candidate's stance on issues facing LGBT Americans.

Cindi Creager is the Director of National News.