The Truth About Marriage

A new ad reminds us why marriage equality matters

As several states consider legalizing same-sex marriage this election year, Washington United for Marriage (WUM) has released a TV ad telling the story of why marriage rights are critical for couples like Sarah and Cheryl Crow.

Zach Silk, WUM’s campaign manager, has used state-sanctioned studies finding that domestic partnerships or civil unions are flawed substitutes for civil marriage which protects couples and families. For example, after New Jersey enacted civil unions in 2008, an independent Civil Union Review Commission issued a report arguing that the civil union act “invites and encourages unequal treatment of same-sex couples and their children.”

A study in Vermont drew similar conclusions in 2008, nearly a decade after it passed its civil union law. Tom Little, the chair of the Vermont Commission on Family Recognition & Protection, said, “Providing statutory access to marriage would be a clearer and more direct statement of full equality by the state, a statement of full inclusion of its gay and lesbian residents.” Vermont now has the freedom to marry.

Though states like Pennsylvania lack any protection for same-sex couples, Washington could become the first state in the nation to support marriage equality at the polls.

Check out the ad: