Is a commitment ceremony/holy union/gay wedding legally recognized in the United States?
• Simple answer? No. • Longer answer? For the most part, no. • Longest answer: The vast majority of US states do not recognize the union of same-sex couples. Even the rights granted to couples in Massachusetts, Vermont, and Iowa only apply to couples when they are in those states, and not when they leave to go anywhere else. • Therefore, outside of a few states (not Minnesota, unfortunately), any legal benefits of a commitment ceremony must be made on your own, through such legal means as powers of financial and medical attorney, wills, living wills, and pre-nuptial agreements. Hennepin County has a Domestic Partners registration, for instance, which can help with visiting privileges in health care facilities. You can change your name, you can buy a house together, and you can usually do the same things as other married couples, but just by other means. • After your weddig, you, your friends and loved ones can refer to you as married. Just because you are still filing as “Single” on yo
