Love Makes A Family:Civil Unions are okay, now

And now for something completely different....After taking a strong stand for Gay Marraige and against Civil Unions Love Makes a Family (LMF) now says civil unions are okay.

A few weeks ago, LMF launched a campaign for gay marraige over civil unions saying that civil unions were unfair and discriminatory. They orgainzed a campaign supporting their position and were over excited that the Hartford Courant agreed with them. Funny thing was, civil unions have a good chance of happening in Connecticut this year and if LMF continued protesting, they would have found themselves fighting on the side of anti-gay groups.

"This is a civil rights issue, and we just don't feel like we can compromise on fairness and equality," said Anne Stanback, President of Love Makes a Family.

I guess LMF can comprise on fairness and equality - thank god! I would have been really pissed off if civil unions failed because of them.

Change Of Heart On Civil Unions Gay Rights Group Softens Its Stand
By DANIELA ALTIMARI Courant Staff Writer March 1 2005

In a sharp reversal of political strategy, the state's leading gay rights group is dropping its opposition to civil unions. Love Makes a Family's "marriage or nothing" stance had sparked criticism and dissension within the gay and lesbian community. But in an e-mail to its members, the group now says it will not lobby against civil unions even as it continues to push for same-sex marriage.

"Clearly the civil union bill has momentum," Anne Stanback, president of Love Makes a Family, said Monday. "We are not going to be working to kill this bill, but we will keep talking to legislators about our hope that they will stand up and speak up for marriage." Last week, the legislature's judiciary committee endorsed civil unions by a nearly 2-1 ratio. If the measure is approved by the full House and Senate, and signed by Gov. M. Jodi Rell, Connecticut would become one of only a few states granting same-sex couples legal recognition.

Civil unions offer gay couples most of the rights and responsibilities of marriage, but are not recognized by most other states or the federal government. California permits gays and lesbians to register as domestic partners and Vermont allows civil unions. Only Massachusetts recognizes same-sex marriage. During a legislative hearing on the matter, Stanback and other gay activists branded civil unions "separate and unequal." They also expressed the belief that once such a system was adopted, the debate over same-sex marriage would essentially end.

The group's opposition, roundly criticized by some of its legislative allies, would have put Love Makes a Family in the awkward position of lobbying - alongside its longtime political adversaries - against a bill that would greatly expand the rights of gay and lesbian couples. On Monday, Stanback amended her view. While she said she still believes civil unions are inherently unequal, she no longer views them as a political dead end. "Would we have liked to get marriage this session and not have a temporary stopover with civil unions? Yes," she said. "But to have a whole group of new legislative leaders who have taken this on as their own struggle is [encouraging.]" She said she was especially encouraged by the judiciary committee's resounding defeat of a pair of proposals that would have expressly barred gays from marrying. The committee's co-chairmen both applauded the group's change of heart. "All-or-nothing strategies are always a bad idea," said Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven. "This is the right way to go."

Sen. Andrew McDonald said he, too, was pleased that the group has given up the fight against civil unions. "I'm gratified that the leadership of LMF is going to be a more active participant in the next stage of our legislative efforts," said McDonald, a Stamford Democrat. Opponents of the proposal, led by the Connecticut Catholic Conference and the Family Institute of Connecticut, are expected to lead the fight against civil unions. Both supporters and opponents are expected to launch high-profile campaigns to sway legislative opinions.

The debate split the gay community, with many applauding what they saw as Love Makes a Family's principled stance. Others chided the group for turning its back on what they viewed as important civil rights legislation. Ultimately, Love Makes a Family's argument failed to win support from the judiciary committee - only one member, Sen. Mary Ann Handley, D-Manchester, voted against civil unions because they do not go far enough.

Meanwhile, several legislative observers said they expect the civil union proposal to win broad support from the full House and Senate. Rell has expressed support for the general idea of expanding the rights of gay couples, but has not weighed in on the bill's specifics. "I'm sure that there are going to be members who disagree with our use of resources going forward ... but we won't work to kill [the] bill, which has a lot of momentum," Stanback said. "We're never going to make a decision that pleases everybody. ... this is the right decision going forward".