Gay-rights advocates are intensifying efforts to gain legal recognition for same-sex unions, but the campaign is drawing strong resistance from social conservatives. Supporters of same-sex marriage say gay and lesbian couples need and deserve the same symbolic and practical benefits for their relationships enjoyed by heterosexuals. Opponents say recognizing same-sex unions will hurt traditional families at a time when marriage is already suffering from divorce and other social trends. The opposing groups also disagree sharply on the effects of raising children in gay households. A Massachusetts court is expected to rule any day on a suit seeking legal recognition of gay marriage. Meanwhile, President Bush is seeking ways to define marriage through federal law solely as the union of a man and a woman.

Kenneth Jost is Supreme Court editor, CQ Press; associate editor, CQ Researcher; and author of The Supreme Court Yearbook since the 1992-1993 edition.