Few N.J. gays apply to join in civil unions

Few N.J. gays apply to join in civil unions
By Geoff Mulvihill
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune and The Associated Press
Published March 21, 2007

MT. LAUREL, N.J. -- At least 219 gay couples applied to join in civil unions during the first month they were available in New Jersey, according to a report by the state Health and Senior Services Department released Tuesday.

The number was much smaller than activists had expected.

By comparison, about 500 gay and lesbian couples in New Jersey registered on the first day the state's domestic partnership law went into effect in 2004. That law was simpler to take advantage of but offered only a handful of the benefits extended in the civil union law.

The data collected by the state may not be complete. Some county registrars may not have sent application records, and there could be couples who applied for licenses but have not yet made the relationship official.

Civil unions offer gay couples the legal benefits of marriage, except for the title. New Jersey lawmakers created the institution last December in response to a state Supreme Court ruling two months earlier that said it was unconstitutional to deny gay couples access to the protections of marriage.

In the United States, only Massachusetts allows gay couples to marry. Vermont and Connecticut also have civil unions, and California has domestic partnerships that offer benefits similar to the civil unions.

In New Jersey, gay rights advocates are promising to keep pushing for the right to marry while some social conservatives are campaigning to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage.

Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality, a gay political advocacy group, said he believes the number of initial registrations is low in part because couples expect to be allowed to marry in the next few years.

He also said people see flaws in civil union protections.

"Word is starting to get out that civil unions are not working," he said. Goldstein said he has heard of about 20 cases in which hospitals, employers and other institutions have told people they would not recognize civil unions, even though they are legally obliged to do so.

New Jersey's civil unions law took effect Feb. 19. The new state data covers the period from then until March 19.

Civil unions can be officiated by judges, mayors or clergy -- the same people authorized to perform weddings.

The legal benefits include the right to file taxes jointly, inheritance and adoption rights and the ability to make medical decisions on a partner's behalf. The federal government and most states, though, do not recognize the unions.