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POPSThe 1,400 legal benefits of marriage in the US
More: spousal exemptions to property tax increases upon the death of one partner who is a co-owner of the home; veterans' discounts on medical care, education, and home loans; joint filing of tax returns; joint filing of customs claims when traveling; wrongful death benefits for a surviving partner and children; bereavement or sick leave to care for a partner or child; decision-making power with respect to whether a deceased partner will be cremated or not and where to bury him or her; crime victims' recovery benefits; loss of consortium tort benefits; domestic violence protection orders; judicial protections and evidentiary immunity; and more.... Most of these legal and economic benefits cannot be privately arranged or contracted for. For example, absent a legal (or civil) marriage, there is no guaranteed joint responsibility to the partner and to third parties (including children) in such areas as child support, debts to creditors, taxes, etc.
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POPSA real argument made against granting domestic partner benifits He really said that domestic partnership diverts rights - including end of life decisions by older children for elderly parents. I strongly believe that a person has the right to make their own end of life decisions and if that includes transferring that ability to someone same sex via domestic partnership then more power to them. Children do not have the right to dictate their elder parents lives.
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POPSAl Gore Endorses Gay Marriage Al Gore, who has favoured "civil unions" since 2000, has now come out in support of full same-sex marriage. Now, if only our Democratic presidential candidates would show the same chutzpah and come out in support of ending this needless and vile discrimination against this group of tax paying and loyal Americans. Don't they remember "All men (and women) are created equal? Seems very simple to me.
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POPSKentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher is a BIGOT!!! We thought we had it bad in Texas, but when a governor calls for a special legislative session just to pass a law that contains discrimination, it is much worse. Fletcher panders to the worst part of the far right wing and religious right(oh so wrong) to score points. I hope the good people of Kentucky recognize this for what it is...BIGOTRY at it's worse!!!
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POPSBush Turns His Back on Cheney's New Grandson During the 2004 presidential campaign President Bush said although he does not support gay marriage he DOES support same-sex civil unions. Now that the floor is falling out from his presidency and he is quacking like the lame duck he is, he is threatening to veto new legislation because the Democrats removed language that would ban same-sex civil unions. He has learned absolutely nothing, and is even going against his own avowed beliefs. Oh please 2009, hurry up and get here already. I am not one for wishing my life away, but the country just can't take any more of this dangerous man.
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POPSAnother Stab in the Heart of Equality Once again gays are being treated at second class citizens. The right-wingers shout about "family values." Yet, when gays and lesbians want to protect their own families, suddenly the tune changes. I suppose to those people who are anti-Gay believe only they have the only true families.
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POPSWhile the Gettin' is Good Gays & lesbians started leaving Virginia before the passage of the anti-gay marriage amendment in that state. Now gay & lesbian faculty at the University of Wisconsin are talking about resigning and leaving the state after the passage of an amendment that bars recognition of same-sex marriages and civil unions. Given that some of these amendments are written in such a way that they might nullify legal agreements between same-sex partners, that give them a few protections that approximate marriage, can you blame them? It will be interesting to see how amendments like these affect cities where the phenomenon mentioned in "The Rise of the Creative Class" has led to more gay-friendly policies. Will gays who have the means to do so abandon states where their legal relationships are not or may not be recognized? Why shouldn't they?
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POPSWisconsin Amendment Amended? It's been argued that the anti-gay marriage amendment in Wisconsin actually helped Democrats and cost Republicans control of the state senate. That may be, but it isn't stopping one Democratic state senator from taking on the amendment. He's not looking to make marriage a possibility. His proposal "respects the gan on gay marriages" but seeks to change the second sentence which he says strips unmarried hetero and homosexual couples of rights. So it could open up civil unions, if it makes it though the senate and survives the GOP-controlled Assembly.
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POPSUniversity of FL to employees: You Must Have Sex The University of Florida is mandating that employees who enroll their domestic partners in the health plan pledge that they are in a sexual relationship. Kind of funny. Via Cliopatria (http://www.hnn.us/blogs/2.html) and Hugo Schwyzer (http://hugoboy.typepad.com), two very fine (and underappreciated) blogs.
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