Drive to stop gay partnership law is dividing conservatives
Reporting from Seattle — A campaign to roll back gay rights that kicked off in Washington state over the weekend has split the Christian conservative community, with some wondering whether it is the right time for a fight and others arguing that time may be running out.On the heels of the recent California Supreme Court ruling that upheld Proposition 8’s prohibition against same-sex marriage, conservative groups here began collecting signatures for a ballot referendum to block a new Washington state law that substantially expands rights for domestic partners.
The law that Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire signed in May has been dubbed the “everything but marriage” bill. When it takes effect in July, it will expand previous domestic partnership laws to include issues like adoption, child support, pensions and other public-employee benefits.Washington’s secretary of state approved the referendum petitions Friday and signature collections began over the weekend. If referendum backers collect 120,577 signatures by July 25, the law would be suspended pending a vote in November.But some conservatives fear that public support for domestic partnership rights and a preoccupation with the economy could doom the effort — and make it harder to battle same-sex marriage down the road. See Drive to stop gay partnership law is dividing conservatives
Los Angeles Times
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/06/drive-to-stop…
Bush Signs Bill Aiding Gay Partners
President George W. Bush, no friend to gays, nevertheless signed the Worker, Retiree and Employer Act on December 23, which will allow the roll-over of pensions from a deceased gay person to his or her partner without tax consequences as with heterosexual married partners. The Human Rights Campaign hailed the move, though it is not known whether Bush was going soft on gays or never saw a tax-cutting bill he did not like.
See Bush Signs Bill Aiding Gay Partners
Gay City News -
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/01/bush-signs-bi…
Gays asking Washington lawmakers to expand rights Seattle Times - United States
State Sen. Ed Murray of Seattle and five other gay members of the Legislature are working on a bill that would expand the rights approved in the 2007 domestic-partnership law.
Nearly 5,000 couples have registered to claim rights such as hospital visits and community property. Murray wants to add pensions and parenting and tax issues.
Murray also told The Olympian he also plans to introduce a same-sex marriage bill but thinks it’s too early to push for full marriage rights for same-sex couples.
See Gays asking Washington lawmakers to expand rights
Seattle Times - United States
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2009/01/gays-asking-w…
Justice at last for gay war widower
Edward Young has finally proved he is entitled to a war pension, writes Jonathan Dart.
Every so often, Edward Young sits on the couch in his apartment and closes his eyes. “And then I just pretend I’m not here any more,” he says.
It has been 10 years since his partner, Larry Cains, died. They met in London in 1960 - he, a model, was introduced to Mr Cains, a photographer who had served with the Australian Army in Borneo during World War II.
“He was desperately handsome,” Mr Young said. “We spent two weeks together and I told him I wanted to spend my life with him.”
Now, after a decade of fighting to have the law recognise his and Mr Cains’s love as equal, the Sydneysider will soon become the country’s first recognised gay war widower.
Laws passed in November mean that partners in gay relationships with serving and retired soldiers will, for the first time, be allowed to claim pensions - opening the door for the so-called “forgotten people” of our military heritage and allowing for more people to make claims that must be paid out.
The decision will end a long-winded battle for Mr Young that began in a small inner-city law office, when he applied for a pension only to find the Veterans’ Entitlements Act limited the definition of “couple”. Under the old law, his 38 years with Mr Cains were invalid because he could not prove he was “living with a member of the opposite sex”.
Having lived through a time when discrimination against gay men was rife, Mr Young said the wording still jolted him. “I didn’t really need the pension,” he said. “I didn’t even really want it. What I wanted was to take on the little man, [the former prime minister John] Howard, and fight.”
See Justice at last for gay war widower
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
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Illinois civil union bill appears to be stalled
A proposal to allow civil unions in Illinois between same-sex couples has been stalled in the state legislature and seems likely to stay that way, as gay rights activists Wednesday plan nationwide “Day Without a Gay” rallies to protest California’s Proposition 8 and other measures opposing gay marriage.
“This is going to be focusing on the economic aspect of what the deprivation of equal marriage rights means to our community,” said Andy Thayer of the Gay Liberation Network in Chicago, which is planning a rally 11 a.m. Wednesday outside the Cook County clerk’s office.
The demonstration to highlight pensions and survivors’ benefits in Chicago occurs as the future of the Illinois Religious Freedom and Civil Unions Act grows uncertain. See Illinois civil union bill appears to be stalled
Chicago Tribune
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/illinois-civi…
Irish gay marriage activists stage registry office “break in”
A group that advocates full civil marriage for same-sex couples in Ireland demonstrated in Dublin at the weekend.
In June Ireland’s Justice minister published a draft bill that will grant gay and lesbian couples legal recognition in areas such as pensions, social security, property rights, tax, succession and the payment of maintenance.
See Irish gay marriage activists stage registry office “break in”
PinkNews.co.uk, UK
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/irish-gay-mar…
