Gay-rights advocates call a deluge of civil-union bills a shift in strategy, but marriage defenders say the institution is still under attack.
Sen. Edward Murray, an openly gay lawmaker in Washington state, told The Associated Press that for years activists focused solely on redefining marriage – but this year things have changed. Activists now claim same-sex couples simply want rights and benefits.
"It's very new," he said. "If I had suggested this strategy a year or two ago, I would have been run out of my district."
According to Carrie Evans, former director of the Human Rights Campaign, the focus is on incremental gains.
"I think with legislators, just like the public, people don't change their minds on marriage equality… overnight," she said.
Some states, such as New Mexico and Washington, are considering domestic partnerships. Other states are considering bills that would create special rights for homosexual couples.
Jenny Tyree, associate marriage analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said gay activists apparently think it's easy to dupe people into believing such legislation is about "fairness."
"But the incremental strategy still moves homosexual activists closer to the goal of redefining marriage for all of society," she said. "Legislation like this moves our laws that much closer."
Massachusetts remains the only state where same-sex marriage is legal, but New Hampshire, Connecticut and California are considering gay marriage. Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey allow gay couples to enter civil unions. California and Washington, D.C., allow domestic partnerships.
The bottom line, Tyree said, is that such legislation intentionally denies children the benefit of either a mother or a father.
"We know what marriage is intuitively, and it's more than a bundle of benefits," she said. "It is the monogamous commitment between a man and a woman and the best social unit for the care of children."
