Delaware last week become the eighth state to legalize the extension of marriage rights, without the title, to same-sex couples.
The Delaware House of Representatives on April 14 approved a civil-union measure, following the Senate’s approval the prior week. The bill is waiting to be signed by Gov. Jack Markell, a strong LGBT-rights supporter who is expected to sign it in the next few weeks.
Civil unions will begin in the state at the beginning of next year.
Unlike some states that undergo years-long efforts to achieve passage of an LGBT relationship-recognition measure, this was the first time such a bill was introduced in the Delaware legislature.
Sen. David Sokolo and Rep. Melanie George submitted the measure in their respective chambers March 22, and they both progressed quickly through committee to the final 26-15 House vote and 13-6 Senate vote.
“Today, we celebrate a victory for all Delaware families who will have the tools to protect themselves in good times and in bad,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, who commended the lawmakers and LGBT and ally advocates, especially LGBT-rights group Equality Delaware.
Equality Delaware president Lisa Goodman said that, while the bill passed on its first incarnation, advocates benefited from the relationships they established with lawmakers during their 11-year fight to pass a nondiscrimination measure based on sexual orientation, approved in 2009.
“It’s like the old saying, ‘I’ve worked for 20 years to become an overnight success,’” she said. “This effort grows out of all the years we spent working on the antidiscrimination bill and talking to our legislators and getting them to change their hearts and minds. Lots of those folks we worked with then are still legislators now and they became our friends. We were very fortunate that we had a core group of people who had experience working with the legislators to make them understand that our families aren’t any different than theirs. Once you get to know someone, it’s really hard to look them in the eye and say they don’t deserve the same rights as you.”
Although the measure moved smoothly through the legislature, that’s not to say antigay lobbyists didn’t put up a fight.
Opponents, led in large part by the Delaware Family Research Council, gathered for a “Defend Marriage” rally and lobbying day in Dover, and Goodman said they blanketed the state with antigay robocalls for weeks.
Their efforts never gained traction with residents or lawmakers, however.
“Delaware really is at heart a moderate state. A clear majority of Delawareans believed that this was the right thing to do,” Goodman said, noting that a recent poll found 62 percent of voters favored civil unions, with 31 percent opposed.
Five other jurisdictions, including New Jersey, currently offer a form of civil unions, with Illinois’ and Hawaii’s recently approved civil-union laws set to go into effect this summer and early next year, respectively.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].