California Relationship Laws
It can be hard to predict what two individuals will end up together. What couples look like, and what beliefs they have about long-term relationships can vary wildly. However, regardless of the beliefs of the individuals in a relationship, the state of California has certain laws regulating how certain relationships can, and cannot, function in the eyes of the law.
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Common Law Marriage
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In the United States, walking down the aisle to tie the knot is not the only way to be married. In addition to traditional ceremonies, and the marriage licenses that come with them, individuals can also enter a state of "common law marriage." These couples, depending on the state, can have the same access to filing joint tax returns, inheritance rights in absence of a will, and hospital visitation rights as couples that were formally married. While the requirements vary from state to state, couples enter a state of common law marriage after living together for several years and presenting themselves to the outside world as being a married couple. However, as of 2011, California does not recognize common law marriage and would not grant these rights to couples regardless of how long they have lived together or presented themselves to the world.
Age of Consent
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California has very strict laws governing relationships in which one individual is over the age of consent, 18, and the other individual is under the age of consent. While such a couple can have an emotionally meaningful relationship while the couples are still on opposite sides of the age of consent, unless they are legally married they cannot engage in physical intimacy. The language of California's laws do not deal in gender, so in such a case the gender of the adult and the gender of the minor is immaterial: it is still illegal. The adult faces fines, possible jail time, and might have to register as a sex offender.
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Gay Marriage
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In the past, marriage was usually considered an institution between a man and a woman. However, in the latter part of the 20th century civil rights activists turned their attention to one group of individuals that such a definition discriminates against: homosexual couples. In 2008, California voted in favor of Proposition 8, a measure that formally banned same-sex marriages in California. Activists who support granting marriage rights to homosexual couples challenged the legislation in court. In 2010, a district court ruled the legislation unconstitutional, but in 2011 supporters of the legislation were still in the process of appealing the ruling that overturned it. This led California back to the status quo ante; while same sex marriage is not formally banned, it is not legally recognized.
Minors
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Dating is a fact of life for many teenagers and their parents. While parents may worry what their teenage children are doing when they are out at night on dates, California has a very explicit view. According to the letter of the law, if relationships between consenting minors turns into physical intimacy, then the two parties are, by the letter of the law, committing a crime. The only exception is if the two minors are lawfully wed.
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References
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