It isn’t a huge start. Heck, it really isn’t the start. Especially when compared to Massachusetts & Vermont. However, the Domestic Partnership and Responsibilities Act does have the overwhelming support of the citizens in California and isn’t near as likely to bring on a full-scale frontal assault from the Xtian Fundies as Massachusetts’ gay marriage law while going further than Vermont’s tax law.
Hopefully we, as a nation, are coming closer to a day when we can, and will, keep our collective nose – and our government – out of people’s bedrooms. I know no one asked me, but since when is it any of our business what any two, or more, consenting adults do in their own home? Further, if you’re seeking something ‘deviant’ to thrill your sense of shock, look no further than your local Xtian fundie minister. To date, I’ve not found so much as one without some HUGE skeletons rattling around the house.
Some guy once said, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”. Note how the guy didn’t say, “He who has not been caught yet at his sin of choice may cast the first stone”.
Here’s more on the story, courtesy of Fox News.
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LOS ANGELES �?? A new state law in California allows gay and lesbian couples nearly all the same rights and benefits of married spouses if they choose to sign up with a state domestic partner registry.
For thousands of same-sex couples in the state, that means legal recognitions they have long dreamed about having.
California Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, author of the Domestic Partnership and Responsibilities Act, calls the measure historic. It grants same-sex couples everything from insurance benefits to adoption rights, but also adds responsibilities like their partner’s debt.
Some legal experts, however, say the registry won’t be beneficial for everyone and that several thousand people have already removed their names from the list because they’re concerned about losing important financial benefits.
Yet proponents insist that joining is an important step in the march for gay rights and that in most cases, the pros will outweigh the cons for people in committed relationships.
While this law, which goes into effect in January, is one of the most far-reaching in the country in terms of gay rights, it doesn’t go as far as some other states’. Massachusetts, for example, allows for same-sex marriage and Vermont permits same-sex couples to file joint tax returns.
And the answer is “Yes. I, as a Conservative American, do support Equal Rights for Gays and Lesbians just as Gays and Lesbians have always supported my – and your – Rights as an American Citizen.
~Rev. Mark T. Jones, H.P.
American Veteran
