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Loading ...Arizona lawmakers seek to strip domestic partners of health coverage
06.05.2009 11:55am EDT
Arizona lawmakers are moving to take away health insurance coverage for the domestic partners of state and university employees. These rights were gained by domestic partners only one year ago.
About 750 workers would be affected says the Department of Administration. If put into affect, the state budget would define “dependents” of state employees who are entitled to coverage as a spouse or a child younger than 19, or younger than 23 if a full-time student.Then-Gov. Janet Napolitano added domestic partners and their children to the list of those covered last year, a decision which was opposed by Senate Majority Whip Pamela Gorman, (R-Anthem). Gorman believes such decisions should be left to state lawmakers.
Current Gov. Jan Brewer opposed granting unmarried domestic partners equal benefits that were given to married couples in a questionnaire she filled out in 2006 for the Center for Arizona Policy.
Members of LGBT advocacy groups, such as Barbara McCullough-Jones of Equality Arizona, are figuring out how best to fight such a decision.
“This particular benefit is critical because it is doing exactly what society asks us to do, and that’s to take care and be responsible for our families,” McCullough-Jones said.
Read the full Arizona Star story here.
First off i must applaud the Gov for sticking with the State constitution instead of popular opinion. AZ Voters amended it to say that marriage is between one man and one women only and that includes the privileges there of. So if you don’t like feel free to move some where else where they do grant those benefits
Republicans always prattle on about family but then crush those who are outside of what they consider to be “decent”.
How about Arizona (AZ)GLBTs with experience in holding public office running for the antigay Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s job? How about AZ GLBTs and allies preventing her at the polls from having a 2nd term where she can tighten her reign of anti-GLBT disadvantage and anti-LGBT discrimination? Isn’t it time AZ had an LGBT Governor??? Isn’t it time that Jan Brewer and those who think like her were stopped in their tracks and told NO, fair-minded Arizonans will not allow you to continue an anti-LGBT dictatorship in the near future? Isn’t it time Gov Brewer, her crew and her bad–for- Arizona decisions were put into reverse on the next AZ state election day and phased out ASAP??
well Arizona – another state to avoid in america.
Wouldn’t they save even more money by stripping away benefits for all recognized couples, domestic partnerships and the married?
Oh wait, maybe it’s not about the children, I’m sorry, forgot that money was the excuse this time..
Step back and look at it. Right now Phoenix is in its third property bust in 25 years. Instead of dealing with real problems (like Arizona’s reliance on imported water), the legislature uses gays as a diversion–and the voters go along with it.
They’re not fit to hold office because they’re a bunch of cranks who can’t stay out of other peoples’ private lives (limiting the number of sex toys in a house??). Instead of dealing with school funding and something other than boom-and-bust economic cycles, most of the Arizona legislature (like several others) seem to think they’re on earth to be bedroom monitors. Sounds like a good reason to start snooping and finding out who has what embarrassing secrets.
RJ – you know, I’ve never been to New England… but I’m thinking that’s where I’ll be taking my next vacation.
Ugh. I need to get the hell out of this state.
Arizona and California,
Have you taken note of the developements in your neighboring state of Nevada, approving in its legislature NV domestic partner relationships?
Shall I take my tourism dollars to Nevada and avoid you? Might I one day even go to Utah instead of to you? Washington State is also on my “to visit” list as it has domestic partnerships but you are not at this time.
hell, if we were able to get MARRIED, this would not be an issue.
Michael W. I agree we must take equal rights any way we can, but as long as equal rights depend on any vote, (they shouldn’t, but they do) we must also convince those who would vote against us, to vote with us. I also wanted to pass on this brief history.
The first public gay rights organization in the U.S. was the Society for Human Rights (SHR) in 1924, organized by Henry Gerber, who was soon arrested. Organization attempts continued and the Mattachine Society emerged in 1950, followed by Daughters of Bilitis organized by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon (the first couple married in California) in San Francisco in 1955. In August of 1966, the Compton Cafeteria riot in San Francisco, helped set the precedent for Stonewall. By 1969 gay and lesbian organizations existed all over the country. Stonewall was an important milestone because it was the first time the national media paid attention, but it was not the birth of the gay equal rights movement in the U.S. The hard work and sacrifice of those who preceded Stonewall should not be forgotten.
Note to self: skip yearly spa trip in Tucson and seek alternate spa/hotel in a – shall we say – more accomodating, gay-friendly state this year. Tell all my friends to do same.
Especially if partnered to another man,I would not work for the state of Arizona or one of its universities with that antigay witch in charge and with that nasty constitutional amendment banning AZ marriage equality.
Same-sex coupled people who are working for the state or AZ or the University of Arizona are going to eventually start looking for work with state governments and univerisities outside of AZ if this witch Gov Brewer and her other GOP cohorts flying around on broomsticks strip away health insurance coverage for the domestic partners of those same employees.
This hampers the ability of the university to attract the best and the brightest in their fields as staff members and instructors and its ability to competitive with other universities in that regard.
Should we be surprised? Having lived in Arizona for the last 40 years, right wing and wacko Republicans are nothing new to us. I see this as an extension of our anti-gay amendment to our state Constitution last year. I love this state and I refuse to leave because of some stupid politicos. Funny thing though: I am on welfare right now, and it costs the state far more than the domestic partner benefits. In short, the state is losing more money for my indigent health care instead of my other half putting me on his policy. So, the beat goes on, and on, and on.
To take away dom partner insurance is just plain old MEAN. I hope these BIGOTS somehow loose their jobs and insurance.
Tom in Long Beach