Activity: “I Now Pronounce You … Wife and Wife?”

ABSTRACT

On October 25, 2006, New Jersey's Supreme Court announced that the state must legally recognize same-sex couples. The high court gave the legislature the responsibility to provide a name to this legal recognition. This issue, though, is not specific to New Jersey, but a national one in which 27 states have amended their constitution to restrict marriage to one woman and one man since 2000, and five states have broadened the legal rights granted to same-sex couples. This activity is designed to enable instructors to help students reflect on their attitudes about legally recognizing same-sex couples by participating in a forced-choice group activity.

KEYWORDS:

• Civil unions
• gay
• gender
• lesbian
• marriage
• race
• relationships
• same-sex issues
• values clarification

The author gratefully acknowledges themanuscript revisions made by Elizabeth Schroeder, Elizabeth Amaya-Fernandez, and the anonymous readers.