Things You'll Need:
- Partner to marry
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Step 1
Plan a destination wedding in California. Unlike Massachusetts, you do not have to be a resident to wed a partner of the same sex in California. In Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Vermont, you can have be married in a church or temple but can only apply for a legal union. Still, that union guarantees all the rights and responsibilities of marriage under state but not federal law to same-sex couples. In the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon, and Washington state have created legal unions that offer only some of the rights and responsibilities of marriage.
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Step 2
Consult a lawyer to learn the legal implications your California wedding would have in your home state. Also read the Frequently Asked Questions list on California same-sex marriage by the National Center for Lesbian Rights in the Resources below.
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Step 3
Learn about the over 1,400 rights conferred to married couples. Some, like Social Security benefits upon death and disability or retirement of spouse, you may already know. Others you may not. As a first step, read the Civil Marriage vs. Civil Union worksheet by the National Organization for Women in the Resources section below.
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Step 4
Learn as much as you can about how same-sex marriage fits into civil rights for lesbians and gay men. Start by going to the Lesbian & Gay Rights page of the American Civil Liberties Union website in the Resources below.
Comments
viewmyviews said
on 11/4/2008 http://www.viewmyviews.com