Marriage isn't the half of it

Similarly, workplace policies that truly address work-family balance issues can give employees peace of mind and economic security. Some employers allow workers to use their paid sick leave to aid sick family members -- but "family" is often defined too narrowly. On this issue, the federal government is way out front. Federal employees can use sick leave to care for those "whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship." A law like this meets real needs without carving out "special rights" for marriage or registered domestic partnership.

Unmarried couples of any sexual orientation, single parents and their children, extended families -- and really, anyone who forms relationships of economic and emotional interdependence that aren't marriage -- deserve laws that value their needs and commitments. Early gay-rights advocates were part of a chorus of voices that supported diverse family structures. This week's push for equality in access to marriage should not make us complacent about the importance of just family policies for all.