June 1, 2007
A Domestic Partnership law
went into effect in
By registering, unmarried gay couples and unmarried straight couples could have their relationships recognized by the state, and thereby be accorded automatic rights formerly only existing in favor of married spouses: hospital visitation rights, the ability to authorize autopsies and organ donations, and inheritance rights when there is no will.
After almost 2 years without the earth coming to an end, that state's legislature recently passed a bill that extends all the 170+ state-given benefits and obligations of being married to same-sex or opposite-sex couples who register as domestic partners.
It's dubbed the "everything but marriage" law. Its point is: Marriage Equality may still be technically in the future, but in the meantime gay and lesbian couples in Washington state should have the same legal protections as everyone else there.
The measure adds domestic partners to sections of laws where previously only spouses were mentioned, including areas referring to probate and trusts, community property and homestead exemptions, and guardianship and powers of attorney.Opponents argued that expanding the current law dilutes traditional marriage.
"This measure will have a negative impact on our families, it will have a negative impact on the Defense of Marriage Act and a negative impact on society," said Rep. Bob Sump, R-Republic. He cited no examples of how this sudden evil effect would come about.
Giving lie to the convention that its only "marriage" that the right wing-nuts oppose, the dark force powers of hatred and bigotry have invaded Washington with $$ and €€ and ++ BS ++ to try to gather signatures to overturn all this progress by placing "Referendum 71" on the fall ballot.
Referendum 71 seeks to overturn the latest expansion of Washington's domestic partner law, which gives registered partners the same state rights as married couples. It doesn't apply under federal law. The umbrella groups sponsoring this referendum, Protect Marriage Washington, and Washington Values Alliance need to gather 121,000 valid signatures of Washington voters on a petition by July 25 to legally compel the issue to referendum.
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