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GLAD Releases Comprehensive Guide to RI Civil Unions
Discusses Common Questions and Explains Limitations of New Law
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) has published a “Marriage and Civil Union Guide for Rhode Island Same-Sex Couples” following the passage of a civil union law in that state.
The guide seeks to answer common questions about the new law and related issues, including those about marriage vs. civil unions, recognition for RI civil unions outside the state, the federal so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), dissolving a civil union or a marriage, tax filing, and how the “religious exemption” in the RI law could affect couples.
The civil union law exempts any religious organization and any charitable or educational organization controlled by a religious organization from having to provide services, accommodations, facilities or goods for a civil union ceremony or celebration, and allows these organizations to refuse to treat a civil union as valid.
Quoting from the guide, “For example, if one civil union spouse enters a hospital that is connected with a religious organization, that hospital could refuse to recognize the civil union. So, the protections that would normally be provided to a spouse in such a situation (such as the right to visit the spouse and the right to make medical decisions if the spouse is incapacitated) may not be available. By contrast, there is no religious exemption to marriage recognition.”
Rhode Island same-sex couples can also choose to legally marry in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Iowa, the District of Columbia or Canada without needing to meet any residency requirement. The guide also discusses some of the benefits and risks of marriage for RI same-sex couples.
The “Marriage and Civil Union Guide for Rhode Island Same-Sex Couples” is available on GLAD’s website, and in hard copy form. To request a hard copy, email Bruce Bell at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders is New England's leading legal organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity and expression.