About the Civil Union Bill

News Release

Tuesday, March 22, 2011



Mayor Baker Joins Governor Markell, State Lawmakers

and Advocates in Supporting Passage of a Civil Union Bill



Wilmington Mayor James M. Baker today thanked the Governor and State legislators for their support of a civil union bill that was introduced earlier today before the Delaware General Assembly in Dover. The Mayor said civil unions are a matter of basic fairness, justice and equality and urged Wilmington citizens to ask their State legislators to support passage of the legislation— Senate Bill 30.



Mayor Baker serves on the Advisory Council of Equality Delaware, Inc., which is a non-profit, citizen-supported organization that educates and advocates for fairness and equality for all lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender people. Equality Delaware released a poll last week showing 62 percent of likely Delaware voters support civil unions for same-sex couples, twice the number that oppose civil unions. Poll results showed that more people in all three counties and nearly every demographic – men, women, seniors, residents ages 50 to 64, and residents younger than 50 – favor civil unions than oppose them.



“There are thousands of individuals, children and couples in Delaware who do not have the same rights and privileges as other families in our State,” said Mayor Baker. “It is time that this injustice end in Delaware and it is time that same sex couples who enter into a civil union be recognized as equal under the law. I urge all citizens to ask their elected officials in the Delaware Senate and House to support Senate Bill 30.”



Mayor Baker said he was impressed and moved by comments made by Governor Jack Markell along with Senator Dave Sokola and Representative Melanie George, the prime sponsors of Senate Bill 30, and Senator Liane Sorenson and Representative Terry Schooley, lead co-sponsors of the legislation, as well as Lisa Goodman, President of Equality Delaware. The comments were in news releases issued today by the Governor’s Office and Delaware General Assembly. The Mayor said he wants to share these comments with citizens so they can understand why it is so important to be supportive of this proposed law.



The following are the comments of Governor Markell:



“A few months ago, there was a candlelight vigil attended by hundreds of Delawareans who had come to mourn the loss of a young life. It was a moment for heartbreak – to hear the story of so much potential wasted, so much thrown away, so much anguish focused so fully on one person that suicide seemed to him the easier choice than having to live with hatred directed at him because of his sexual orientation. More heartbreaking even, is how that scenario happens again and again, across the country. But that night, so many Delawareans stepped up and shared their own stories – stories of hope, stories of promise, stories of how far our neighbors and our state have come. How we can say to young people like that college student – live a life of accomplishment. Build a business, and a family. Embrace the opportunities before you because that hatred you’re facing has no place here. Today, and in the days ahead, we will hear more stories. How we can someday hope to say, with legislation like this bill today – if you’ve committed yourself to someone, and you’ve made that pledge to spend your life together in partnership, when life or death decisions come, we will respect your right to make those decisions together. How can the state, in good conscience, say to someone – “you have dedicated your life to someone for years. Your partner trusts you to make their medical decisions if they become incapacitated and don’t have a living will but we, the state, do not?” Or say to a child that had been raised since birth in a home of love, hope and help that because both of those parents happen to be men or women that if the parent who was the legal guardian dies, you lose the legal rights and protections to be raised by the other? That, when your world has been torn apart, the law may tear it further? Those are just some of the reasons we are here today to show our support for this bill. I want to thank the bill sponsors and the legislators here for their years of work on expanding these freedoms. It has not been an easy fight and it’s possible that this bill may not have an easy time as well. Let’s be clear - just two years ago, until we signed a law to change it, it was legal in Delaware to be fired because of your sexual orientation. Anti-gay and lesbian discrimination was legal simply because the law had not caught up to the times. Well, the time is here and the time is now – and this legislation will move us forward, together.”



Sen. David Sokola, D-Newark North, noted domestic partnership benefits are already offered by more than half the Fortune 500 list of leading corporations and said, if the passage of laws extending anti-discrimination protections to include gender sexual orientation is a guide, the civil union measure should not be a major issue when the bill passes.



“When you look at the anti-discrimination bill, there was a lot of heartburn about potential problems it would cause,” said Sen. Sokola, the lead sponsor of that legislation. “But in the end, those worries didn’t pan out. I think that will be the case here, too. Something like 58 percent of the Fortune 500 already do this. It used to be that government took the lead in this kind of civil rights bill, but now we’re playing catch up.”



Rep. Melanie L. George, SB 30’s lead sponsor in the House, called civil unions a civil rights issue. She pointed out it was less than 100 years ago when women had to fight for the right to vote, and about 50 years ago blacks were fighting against segregation and for equal rights.



“Prior to women’s suffrage and the Civil Rights Act, people thought the very concept of giving them civil rights was nothing more than a crazy pipedream. Today, no one could imagine living in a society where women can’t vote and blacks are forced to attend ‘separate but equal’ schools,” said Rep. George, D-Bear. “We are enlightened as a society today and understand the injustice and inequity that currently exists. We are correcting that injustice by introducing and passing this legislation.”



Supporters of the legislation noted that civil unions offer Delawareans equal protection and equal treatment under the law. Couples in a civil union would have the same protections, rights and obligations as a married couple, such as hospital visitation rights, property and last will and testament transfers, the ability to live together in nursing homes, joint adoption, and other legal issues. Also under the bill, Delaware would recognize legal relationships that same-sex couples enter into in another jurisdiction – whether it is a civil union or same-sex marriage – and treat the relationship as a civil union.



Rep. Terry L. Schooley said that allowing civil unions will allow all Delawareans to have a legally recognized union with the person they love and be treated and protected equally in the eyes of the law.



“It’s time to pass this bill,” said Rep. Schooley, D-Newark. “Every year, more and more people of Delaware realize that this issue is about equality and fairness for all citizens. The people of Delaware have announced their support, so it’s time the General Assembly stands up and is counted as well.”



Senate Minority Whip Liane Sorenson, R-Hockessin, said she thinks the bill is appropriate because it affords same sex couples the same legal protections and benefits that heterosexual couples receive.



“It’s a question of fairness,” Sen. Sorenson said. “If a couple is in a committed relationship they should have equal access to legal protections and access to a partner’s benefits, regardless of their orientation. If you look at what’s already going on in the business world, this is clearly a bill whose time has come.”



Lisa Goodman, a Wilmington attorney and president of Equality Delaware, said the civil union bill is a critical step toward the group’s mission to ensure and promote dignity, safety and equality for all Delawareans, regardless of sexual orientation.



“Same-sex couples are no different than anyone else,” said Ms. Goodman, who has lived with her partner for 12 years. “We want to protect and provide for those we love. We want to be with them when they are ill, and to be confident that we can safeguard their future. We love our children and we honor our parents. We believe that the law should protect us and our relationships equally.”



According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, six states have passed civil union legislation – Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Vermont. Colorado is currently considering a civil union law. Seven other states allow domestic partnerships.



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John Rago

Director of Communications and Policy Development

Office of Wilmington Mayor James M. Baker

302.420.7928



Rich Neumann

Assistant Communications Director

302.757.3898



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