Legal Advice Urged for Gay Marriage Hopefuls
All Things Considered audio

Gay couples hoping to marry in Massachusetts may have more legal hurdles to worry about than just marriage licenses. Audie Cornish of member station WBUR reports.


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Newsweek Poll: Growing Support for Same-Sex Unions
NewsMax Wires

The new Newsweek poll out this week find increasing acceptance among Americans for same-sex unions as Massachusetts gets set to allow the first legally- recognized same-sex marriages in the nation.

The poll shows that a majority (51%) of adults approve of some form of legal recognition for gay and lesbian couples; 28 percent say they favor full marriage rights, while 23 percent favor civil unions or partnerships but not gay marriage.

But more than four in 10 (43%) oppose any form of legal recognition. Big differences in attitudes toward gay marriage are seen by age group. Almost two-thirds (64%) of young adults aged 18-29 favor some form of legal recognition for same-sex couples; 41 percent favor full marriage rights, 23 percent favor civil unions and 34 percent oppose any form of legal recognition.

Among Americans aged 30 to 49, 34 percent support gay marriage and 20 percent civil unions, while 40 percent oppose all legal recognition. And among 50 to 64 years olds, 23 percent support marriage, 27 percent civil unions and 46 percent no legal recognition. In contrast, seniors aged over 65 are least likely to favor full marriage rights (8%) and most likely to oppose any form of gay marriage (57%).


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'People now recognize we are out there'
As gay families gain visibility, they hope for more acceptance
By JOHANNA CROSBY

Like a lot of other parents, Laura Gill and Marie Hartley go to parent-teacher conferences and volunteer at school. Their 5-year-old daughter's friends come to their Brewster house for play dates.

The lesbian couple, who also have a 10-month-old son, would like to be viewed and treated like any other family. But they realize society may not see them that way.

"We haven't experienced discrimination to our faces, but what people say at home is hard to know," says Gill. "Our sense is parents are telling their children there are all kinds of families."

Openly gay families are a recent phenomenon. Once a closeted minority, they've been drawing more attention recently with the debate over gay marriage, which is due to become legal in Massachusetts tomorrow.


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Protest, Celebrations Planned To Mark Mass. Gay Marriage
Mass. To Be First State To Legalize Gay Marriage

HARTFORD, Conn. -- With gay couples expected to wed in Massachusetts Monday, both protests and celebrations are expected Sunday in Hartford.

Gay marriage opponents are scheduled to gather at the Capitol around 1 p.m. Sunday.

Supporters of gay marriage are holding a rally around 2 p.m., also at the Capitol.

At midnight, Massachusetts will become the country's first state to legalize gay marriages. Opponents tried to block gay marriages with a last-minute legal challenge in the federal courts. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant an emergency stay late Friday. Some Connecticut couples with ties to Massachusetts say they plan to head to the Bay State in the upcoming weeks to wed. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has said couples who do not own property in the state, or who can't marry in their home states, will not be issued licenses.