Couples eligible to marry may have their marriage licenses performed in any state and have it recognized in every other state in the nation and every country in the world.
Couples who are joined in a civil union have no guarantee that its protections will even travel with them to neighboring New York – let alone California or any other state.
Moreover, even couples who have a civil union and remain in Vermont receive only second-class protections in comparison to their married friends and neighbors. While they receive state-level protections, they do not receive any of the more than 1,100 federal benefits and protections of marriage.
Religious institutions are not required to recognize either one.
