What Difference Does a Civil Union Make? Changing Public Policies and the Experiences of Same-Sex Couples: Comment on Solomon, Rothblum, and Balsam (2004) Charlotte J. Patterson University of Virginia When Vermont became the first state in the United States to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples, it marked an important milestone in lesbian and gay Americans’ struggle for equal rights. Against this background, S. E. Solomon, E. D. Rothblum, and K. F. Balsam’s (2004) study, the first to examine experiences of same-sex couples who have undertaken civil unions, is a significant effort. The study provides valuable data about these couples, yet much remains to be learned. Further study of the impact of changing legal landscapes on experiences of same-sex couples and their families has the potential to add significantly to knowledge about contemporary family lives. keywords: sexual orientation, civil unions, gay, lesbian, marriage When Vermont became the first state in the United States to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples, it marked an important milestone in lesbian and gay Americans’ struggle for equal rights (Strasser, 2002). In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples must be allowed access to the same benefits and protections that are currently available to heterosexual couples through marriage. The legislature carried out this decision by creating civil unions to allow same-sex couples the rights and responsibilities of marriage under state law, but without allowing access to marriage itself. Signed into law by former Vermont Gover- nor Howard Dean, the civil union law went into effect on July 1, 2000 (Strasser, 2002). Especially given that most states still had laws on the books that specifically barred access to marriage for same-sex couples, and that no other state had legalized civil unions, the steps taken in Vermont are notable. Against this background, Solomon, Rothblum, and Bal- sam’s (2004) study, which is the first to examine the cir- cumstances and experiences of same-sex couples who have undertaken civil unions, is a significant effort. Apart from being the first of its kind, the study is admirable in many other ways as well. For example, the study was based on the entire population of those who had undertaken civil unions in Vermont during the first year after legalization; this approach effectively minimized many possible selection biases. Another strong point of the study was use of married heterosexual siblings as a comparison group for the same- sex couples; this method of recruiting heterosexual couples effectively controlled for many possible variations in the backgrounds of participants. Overall, the study provides an interesting cross-sectional portrait of hundreds of same-sex couples who have been among the first to undertake civil unions in the United States. How important is civil union status in shaping the expe- riences of same-sex couples? In particular, how does civil union status compare with gender and sexual orientation as a predictor of couples’ experiences? The data collected by Solomon et al. (2004) are particularly interesting in that they allow comparisons among gender, sexual orientation, and civil union status. By examining the associations among all three variables and various couple outcomes of interest, one can begin to estimate the impact civil unions may have on the experiences of same-sex couples. In general, Solomon et al.’s (2004) results suggest that sexual orientation was related to many more aspects of experience, both for lesbian women and for gay men, than was civil union status. Regardless of civil union status, lesbian and gay couples reported fewer years together, fewer children, and less of a tendency to describe their spiritual beliefs as consistent with formal religions than did their heterosexual married siblings. Regardless of civil union status, same-sex couples also reported more mutual friends than did their heterosexual married siblings. Regard- less of civil union status, lesbian women were more likely to report sharing child care equally than were their married heterosexual sisters. Regardless of civil union status, lesbian women reported feeling less social support from parents than did their heterosexual married sisters. Regardless of civil union status, gay men were more likely than their heterosexual brothers to live in large cities. In all these ways, the experiences of same-sex couples were associated primarily with sexual orientation. These findings on the importance of sexual orientation in shaping couple experience are consistent with and also Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Charlotte J. Patterson, Department of Psychology, P.O. Box 400400, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904. E- mail: cjp@virginia.edu Journal of Family Psychology Copyright 2004 by the American Psychological Association 2004, Vol. 18, No. 2, 287–289 0893-3200/04/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/0893-3200.18.2.287 287