The Four Lives of Registered Partnerships

Come learn about a study that traces the evolution of registered partnerships through four “lives.” The first, in the 1980s, framed them as a queer emancipation tool – an alternative to marriage rejecting heteronormativity. The second redefined them as a “separate but unequal” compromise, a step toward full marriage equality. The third, emerging recently, sees both same- and different-sex couples choosing them as a lighter, more flexible recognition, reflecting growing pluralism in intimate life. The fourth, following a 2022 European Court of Human Rights ruling, marks their instrumental use in culture wars – offering minimal rights to deflect pressure for marriage equality. The study situates registered partnerships at the crossroads of equality politics and family diversity.