...marriage important? Under federal law, more than 1,100 rights and benefits to marriage exist, none of which is available to gay and lesbian couples. Yes, you can do some complicated estate planning, but virtually all of the rights marriage conveys on a federal level are simply unavailable without full marriage rights.

Social Security and survivor benefits, tax benefits, Family and Medical Leave Act, immigration rights, estate taxes and equal access to a spouse’s retirement and benefits packages, including health care, are the obvious choices, but many of the federal rights of marriage are things most people never think of, such as spousal immunity in federal prosecutions.