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Loading ...Wa. domestic partner expansion faces challenge
05.05.2009 7:54am EDT
(Olympia, Washington) Opponents of Washington state’s newly enacted domestic partner law that gives same-sex couples all of the state rights of marriage without the name have started their bid to overturn the measure.
The Washington Values Alliance filed paperwork Monday to begin the referendum process. They need to get more than 120,500 voter signatures by July 25 to qualify for the November ballot.The filing for the referendum delays the July 26 start of the law until the signatures are counted. If opponents qualify for the ballot, the law is delayed until the results of the November election.
Gov. Chris Gregoire is expected to sign the “everything but marriage” bill into law within the next two weeks.
President Larry Stickney said the legislation is the final step toward legalizing gay marriage in Washington.
The legislation makes domestic partnerships equal to marriage in areas of community property, guardianship and powers of attorney. It allows partners the right to refuse to testify against partners in court. And it provides the same remedies as married couples in ending a relationship, including the division of property.
The legislation expands on previous domestic partnership laws by adding reference to partnerships alongside all remaining areas of state law where currently only married couples are mentioned.
The domestic partner law was enacted after the state Supreme Court in 2006 upheld Washington’s so-called Defense of Marriage Act limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples.
The court cited the argument that marriage was designed for the procreation of children. But the court noted the legislature could overturn the law or amend it to include gay pairs.
Since July 2007 when the original domestic partner law went into effect, more than 5,000 couples have registered as domestic partners.
Under the law, partners must be 18 or order and not already married or in a domestic relationship with someone else. The law also requires that couples share a home and be financially dependent up one another. It also allows opposite-sex couples to register if one partner is at least 62 years old.
From The Progress Report:
WHITE HOUSE ELIMINATED PLEDGE TO REPEAL DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT FROM WEBSITE: After The Progress Report and other outlets noted last week’s changes to the Civil Rights page on whitehouse.gov, watering down language on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Tips-Q noted that the website had also completely eliminated the portion objecting to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). As late as April 28, the website highlighted President Obama’s commitment to “repealing” DOMA, as a cached image shows. “Obama also believes that we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act,” read the website. Today, the website states only that Obama “supports full civil unions and federal rights for LGBT couples and opposes a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.” According to ProPublica’s Change Tracker, the changes to the DOMA language were made on April 30. During his campaign, Obama repeatedly pledged to seek to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act, telling The Advocate, “I for a very long time have been interested in repeal of DOMA.” During the primary campaign, he touted his longtime opposition to DOMA in a strongly-worded “open letter” to the LGBT community.
Gee, when is the “Washington Values Alliance” going to start building the concentration camps for us?
It is hard for me being so far away from the person i love. I live in the USA. He lives in Romania.
I am more concerned about when will the uniting american families act pass?
KRIS–BRILLIANT !!! NOBODY CAN REFUSE A BABY ANYTHING-NOT EVEN THE CHRISTIAN CRAZIES !!!!!!!!GET OUT YOUR BABY PICTURES EVERYONE !!WOULD YOU DENY THIS BABY HIS/HER CIVIL RIGHTS ?? !!
Well, here we go again. To all Washingtonians: Fight this proposal to water down our rights or all of us everywhere will suffer the same fate. While my priorities do not include gay marriage, I do expect certain domestic partner benefits be made law as we are taxpayers too.
I feel we need to eliminate workplace discrimination first. This will enable us to make the equality claims when it comes to making a push for gay marriage. Face it, most employers couldn’t care less what you do on your own time unless it involves breaking the law or substance abuse.
So, my point is we must get the feds to start treating us as equals. Only then can we eliminate these stupid amendments at the state level as no one wants to defy federal law. We must remember, though, that protests and picketing are the most valuable tools to fighting bigotry. Which is why we need more people like the late Harvey Milk.
That’s it for me but remember, whatever tactics we decide on, let’s treat each other with a little respect. If we don’t, then our enemies have won.
Jerry from Tucson, AZ
Shouldn’t we protest this in the streets – vigorously, loudly, and publicly?
I have a good idea. Let’s get our baby pictures of ourselves, put on a t-shirt, and have it say “would you take the rights away of this baby?”. The people would be drawn to the shirts for the baby picture, and would have to deal with their evil against babies. Give me feedback…
This gives the lie to our opponents’ bs that they only thing they object to is the word “marriage.” What they object to is us.
Oh, when will these straight people realize that gay people marrying does in no way cause any more or less significance in their own marriage? It’s just like racial prejudice or not allowing woman to vote of days gone by. Straight people, wake up and grow up. We gay people are people just like you. Simple as that.
Hey Mike… we have to make examples of their hypocrisy. but threatening in these ways doesn’t make us better than them. We know that we are better than that. This time hutcherson and fuiten won’t win! This time we will silence these fools and hypocrites but we have to do it the right way not by threatening violence!
Why do us gays continually put up with the sort of “hate crime” against us??? I will fight back, now who is with me??? – NO THREATS OF ANY KIND THANK YOU!!!
OK everyone who fully supports the recent domestic partnerships legislation just just got passed by the legislators last month, I will be holding a massive BIG protesting group in the CBD of Seattle next month on 6th June 2009 at 8am. Hate and bigotry has to stop right now!!! WE DO NOT WANT ANOTHER PROP 8!!!! If I have really have to I will be making bomb and death threats to churches and family groups!!!
THEY JUST WONT LEAVE US ALONE, WILL THEY?I DEALT WITH BULLYS IN MY YOUTH BUT NEVER IMAGINED THAT THERE WOULD BE SO MANY OF THEM AS I REACHED ADULTHOOD !!
hmmm letm sign…as long as they know that their signatures WILL BE PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE! Get to know your neighbor….these idiots will will try to gather signatures & spend time and $$$ on this when the state has pressing things to contend with..