From Daily Dose of Queer (Civil Unions and Couples Credit)
Civil unions, which have been adopted mainly for same-sex couples, are still in their infancy in the United States. There is plenty of controversy surrounding this concept, particularly from the conservative point of view, and only four U.S. states currently recognize them (VT, NH, NJ, CN). Political issues aside, however, there are a few implications of a civil union that many people simply don’t consider.When two people get married, the federal (and consequently the state) government recognizes their credit profiles as joined. The two individuals might have radically different credit scores, but they share the same debt, and one partner’s mistakes might negatively affect the couple for loans and lines of credit. With civil unions, however, credit issues become muddled because the federal government does not recognize the union as legal.
In 1996, the federal government passed the Defense of Marriage Act, which states that even though individual states can adopt Civil Union laws, other states are not obligated to recognize them and they are not legally entitled to the same rights as married couples. For example, if you enter into a civil union in Vermont, which began allowing them in 2000, you might find that your situation changes if you move to Texas or Arkansas.
Read more: http://www.dailydoseofqueer.com/2007/09/
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