A legal alternative to marriage that carried important rights would likely tap into a significant, unmet need, including for couples in romantic relationships. California offers a preview because of what happened when it lifted restrictions on who could enter domestic partnerships—first, in 2002, opening up domestic partnerships to different-sex couples in which only one partner was over sixty-two, and then in 2020, allowing different-sex couples of any age. After each change, the number of people who filed for domestic partnerships spiked. Straight couples were among them.
