Same Sex Legal Kit For Dummies

Grasp the latest legal information for gay and lesbian couples Same-sex relationships are treated differently under each state's laws, and nearly a quarter of the U.S. population lives in a state with some form of legal recognition for same-sex couples. Same Sex Legal Kit For Dummies is a practical, plain-English guide to the legal information and guidance lesbian and gay couples need—from making practical decisions about living together and obtaining domestic partner benefits, to making medical decisions, taking care of each other's finances when one partner is incapacitated, leaving property to each other, having and raising children, and much more. Discusses power of attorney, health directives, and real estate and personal property ownership Covers considerations for bank accounts, investments, and estate planning The book's accompanying CD-ROM includes dozens of helpful tools, forms, and letters Brings you up to speed on the latest in civil unions, workplace rights, rental agreements and leases, and much more The information contained in Same Sex Legal Kit For Dummies is invaluable for anyone in a same-sex relationship who needs to grasp the laws and regulations that apply to their unique situation CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of the e-book file, but are available for download after purchase.

Grasp the latest legal information for gay and lesbian couples Same-sex relationships are treated differently under each state's laws, and nearly a quarter of the U.S. population lives in a state with some form of legal recognition for same-sex couples. Same Sex Legal Kit For Dummies is a practical, plain-English guide to the legal information and guidance lesbian and gay couples need—from making practical decisions about living together and obtaining domestic partner benefits, to making medical decisions, taking care of each other's finances when one partner is incapacitated, leaving property to each other, having and raising children, and much more. Discusses power of attorney, health directives, and real estate and personal property ownership Covers considerations for bank accounts, investments, and estate planning The book's accompanying CD-ROM includes dozens of helpful tools, forms, and letters Brings you up to speed on the latest in civil unions, workplace rights, rental agreements and leases, and much more The information contained in Same Sex Legal Kit For Dummies is invaluable for anyone in a same-sex relationship who needs to grasp the laws and regulations that apply to their unique situation CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of the e-book file, but are available for download after purchase.

Alderson tells the stories of same-sex couples who have actually gotten married, as well as the behind-the-scenes stories that explain the legal victory that made this all possible.

Align HR practices with your objectives and keep your company competitive A company's ability to grow and stay on top of customer demand has always depended heavily on the quality of its people. Now, more than ever, businesses recognize that finding (and keeping) a highly skilled and motivated workforce is pivotal to success. Maybe you're a business owner and your company is growing, or you're an employee at a small- to midsize-company and management has asked you to take on some—or all—of their HR functions. Either way, knowing how to set up and implement successful HR practices (not to mention navigating the legal minefields in today's increasingly regulated environment) can be tricky. Human Resources Kit For Dummies is your one-stop resource for learning the nuts and bolts of HR. It gives you forms and templates that you can put to immediate and productive use. New information on anti-discrimination legislation; measuring performance; hiring, firing, and retaining employees; and training and development plans The latest info on online and social media policies Updated forms and contracts, from job application forms and sample employee policies to performance appraisals and benefit plan worksheets If you're currently working in Human Resources or are responsible for employees in your business, the tools presented here help you maximize the effectiveness of your own HR program.

During the past three decades, nations all over the world have been debating whether to allow same-sex couples to marry, or at least grant these couples various rights associated with marriage. In Equality for Same-Sex Couples, Yuval Merin presents the first comparative study of the legal regulation of same-sex partnerships worldwide, as well as a unique survey of the status of same-sex couples in Europe. Merin begins by providing a historical overview of the transformation of marriage from antiquity to the present. He then identifies and critically compares four principal models for the legal regulation and recognition of same-sex partnerships: civil marriage, registered partnership, domestic partnership, and cohabitation. Merin concludes that all of the models except civil marriage discriminate against gays and lesbians just as the "separate but equal" doctrine discriminated against African Americans; thus, so-called alternatives to marriage, even if they provide the same rights and benefits as marriage, are inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional.

This book shows six different realities of same-sex families. They range from full recognition of same-sex marriage to full invisibility of gay and lesbian individuals and their families. The broad spectrum of experiences presented in this book share some commonalities: in all of them legal scholars and civil society are moving legal boundaries or thinking of spaces within rigid legal systems for same-sex families to function. In all of them there have been legal claims to recognize the existence of same-sex families. The difference between them lies in the response of courts. Regardless of the type of legal system, when courts have viewed claims of same-sex couples and their families as problems of individual rights, they have responded with a constitutional narrative protecting same-sex couples and their families. When courts respond to these claims with rigid concepts of what a family is and what marriage is as if legal concepts where unmodifiable, same-sex couples have remained outside the protection of the law. Until forty years ago marriage was the only union considered legitimate to form a family. Today more than 30 countries have granted rights to same sex couples, including several that have opened up marriage to couples of the same sex. Every day there is a new bill being discussed or a new claim being brought to courts seeking formal recognition of same sex couples. Not all countries are open to changing their legal structures to accommodate same-sex couples, but even those with no visible changes are witnessing new voices in their communities challenging the status quo and envisioning more flexible legal systems.

A critical reader of the history of marriage understands that it is an institution that has always been in flux. It is also a decidedly complicated one, existing simultaneously in the realms of religion, law, and emotion. And yet recent years have seen dramatic and heavily waged battles over the proposition of including same sex couples in marriage. Just what is at stake in these battles? License to Wed examines the meanings of marriage for couples in the two first states to extend that right to same sex couples: California and Massachusetts. The two states provide a compelling contrast: while in California the rights that go with marriage—inheritance, custody, and so forth—were already granted to couples under the state’s domestic partnership law, those in Massachusetts did not have this same set of rights. At the same time, Massachusetts has offered civil marriage consistently since 2004; Californians, on the other hand, have experienced a much more turbulent legal path. And yet, same-sex couples in both states seek to marry for a variety of interacting, overlapping, and evolving reasons that do not vary significantly by location. The evidence shows us that for many of these individuals, access to civil marriage in particular—not domestic partnership alone, no matter how broad—and not a commitment ceremony alone, no matter how emotional—is a home of such personal, civic, political, and instrumental resonance that it is ultimately difficult to disentangle the many meanings of marriage. This book attempts to do so, and in the process reveals just what is at stake for these couples, how access to a legal institution fundamentally alters their consciousness, and what the impact of legal inclusion is for those traditionally excluded.