For some lesbian and gay couples, civil unions are a joyous step toward equality

Kimberly Leadford recently celebrated the “wedding of her dreams”: a romantic sunset ceremony on the shores of Lake Champlain in Vermont, with 60 family members and friends commandeering a lakeside inn for the weekend.

“It was even better than I’d imagined,” said Leadford, 28, of Providence.

The only problem is, her union to her life partner, Tamara Diaz, 29, also of Providence, isn’t considered legal outside Vermont.

Vermont is currently the only state in the country to recognize a civil union between gay and lesbian partners — the legal equivalent to a marriage under the laws of that state.

Same-sex couples who enter a civil union in Vermont get all of the state-issued legal protections and benefits as heterosexual couples who get married — as long as they’re in Vermont.

But those rights don’t carry across state lines, nor are they entitled to any federal benefits, such as filing a joint federal tax return or sharing in a partner’s Social Security benefits.

In fact, there’s strong opposition to same-sex unions in many other states based on legal, moral and religious grounds. Congress has even passed legislation formally defining marriage as the legal union of one man and one woman — a definition also adopted by many states — to restrict marital benefits to heterosexual unions.

So even though Leadford and Diaz have a legal document confirming their union, the Rhode Island couple still can’t obtain health insurance as a couple, file a joint state tax return, or even make medical decisions for each other in an emergency.

But they were able to share their vows legally, with family and friends, and that’s what matters most, Leadford and Diaz say.

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