Marriage: A civil, social, and spiritual institution often entered into by people in love to make a statement of commitment to their family, friends and community.  A civil marriage gives the couple access to a vast array of protections, responsibilities, and benefits, many of which currently cannot be replicated in any other way.

Civil unions: An institution created by individual states (so far only Vermont and Connecticut) that gives couples all of the state – but none of the federal -- rights and responsibilities granted to civilly married couples. 

Domestic partnership: The status granted by some public and private entities (such as an employer, or a local or state government) to legally recognize an unmarried couple.  Sometimes domestic partnerships are catalogued in a public registry and create select rights and responsibilities for the couple, while others give no substantive rights at all other than having the partnership documented.

Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA): The federal law that: (1) defines marriage for federal purposes are being constituted by one man and one woman only; and (2) says that no state needs to recognize a same-sex marriage from another state. The term can also generically refer to the state versions of the law that have been passed in 45 states, though not New York.

Commity law: The body of law dealing with how a state will treat laws from another state.  For example, New York marriage commity law is so strong that marriages from other jurisdictions have almost always been respected here in New York.

Constitutions: The federal and state documents declaring fundamental principals that trump statutory law until the constitution is amended.