Yay, Nevada!

It's not quite marriage equality, but it's the next best thing.

The State legislature and senate of Nevada have overridden their governor to pass a domestic partnerships bill. For those not familiar with these types of things, domestic partnerships (or civil unions) are legal contracts that can be entered into by same-sex or opposite-sex couples. They confer varying degrees of legal rights upon the two parties, depending on the state law. I believe the Nevada bill bestows all the legal rights of marriage, just not the name. This truly is a huge win for Nevada's same-sex couples, as voters outlawed gay marriage years ago.

Nevada's LGBT's and allies should not stop there, though. It's become more and more clear over the years that domestic partnerships and civil unions aren't as good as marriage, probably largely due to the fact that they are not recognized federally. Upwards and onwards, American neighbours!