NYC reconizes same-sex marriages.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/08/16/nyc...ers/index.html

Some friends of mine are going to be happy about that.

If they are going to recognize same sex unions (not saying they should one way or the other, just "IF"), they need to go all the way and call it a marriage, not a "union", "domestic partnership" or anything else short of "marriage". That gets rid of all the ambiguity in the cases of health and other insurance and work benefits. You can have an insured, a designated spouse, and dependents. Nice and neat.

Also, this way all the divorce laws, community property laws, bigamy laws, and tax laws etc. can apply to those unions. That would be true equality.

To do less creates a tremendous legal and social mess in more areas than can be imagined.

I have no leaning one way or the other on this issue,but do wonder if other states and countries are obligated to recognise these "legally" married couples as they do different sex marriges at the momment?
A second issue is are the "couples" to be considered to be covered by all the laws presently governing those marriges presently recognised and all that they entail i.e. divorce,seperation,child maintenance etc?