ORIGINAL TEXT
Resolution D064
Title: Marriage Equality
Topic:
Committee: Special Legislative Committee
House of Initial Action: Bishops
Proposer: Ms. Lyn Headley-Deavours (Newark)
Resolved,
the House of _____ concurring,
That
the 75th General Convention calls upon all states to provide same-sex couples equal access to civil marriage.
EXPLANATION
In 1976 the General Convention expressed its support for equal protection under the law for lesbian and gay persons, and in 1994, it called for all states and the U.S. Congress to approve domestic partnership benefits for same-sex couples. It has become clear that as in racial issues, "separate" does not mean "equal"; the only way to assure equal treatment for same-sex couples is to grant them access to civil marriage.
Marriage is a changing institution and civil marriage rights have been significantly changed and broadened in the U.S. over the last 75 years. For example, the changes in civil marriage laws altered women's legal status and ended the historic, legally sanctioned segregation and privilege of the majority that prohibited marriage between Black and White citizens and marriage for certain ethnic groups. The denial of the right to marriage based on a single characteristic makes discrimination legal against anyone possessing that characteristic.
Civil marriage provides legally recognized rights and protections for families involving child custody, medical decisions and inheritance. The freedom or the right to marry, if a couple so chooses, is a matter of justice, basic fairness, civil rights and love.