Comments on Gay Rights. Challenged?

Let me first state that I'm entirely supportive of full rights for gays, and that being a straight male I recognize how good I have it in our patriarchal society so I prioritize equal rights for gays before correcting other imbalances.

However, I'd love it if domestic partnership rights that are equivalent to what you get when married were available to everyone. I've been with my partner for over 6 years now. We bought a house together over 3 years ago.

Our relationship has lasted longer than a lot of marriages (celebrity AND otherwise) yet we're unable to access the benefits that we deserve only because we haven't bought into the marriage thing. Thankfully we're both gainfully employed, but it definitely gets under my skin that we're at a disadvantage because we haven't said our vows...

Yeah, because they, you know, choose not to partake of the rights and responsibilities of marriage that are already available to them. Such a burden. Why won't those gays share all their big rights with the poor downtrodden straight couples who choose not to marry? Mean gays.

Sneaky? Why do you discriminate against us straights who just want to live together in sin like you?

Sheesh, good thing I can always move to BC and be recognized as commmon-law married, like the EU does ...

Next thing you know you'll be insisting we straights have to get preggers when we marry ...

I guess what Murray actually means that he's focusing on the gays and on straight seniors.

Sneaky? Why do you discriminate against us straights who just want to live together in sin like you?

Yeah, I think they've got a point, in that straight unmarried people don't have access to the rights that gay unmarried folks do now. Of course, the solution to this is legalizing actual gay marriage, in my mind, not extending DPs to straights as well.

Unmarried het couples are eligible for domestic partnership benifits. It's called "marriage". If they let us get married we wouldn't need domestic partnership benifits.

Let me clarify. It's not that I'm pro-marriage in that I think the term marriage relates to something religious, which I am not. I think in the government's eyes everyone should be civil unionized domestic partners. Any two people of consenting age. Let your church decide whether or not they want to recognize it or not.

Monday is Equality Day in Olympia and I highly encourage everyone, hets included, to join us as we let our legislators know that we want equality and now!

http://www.equalrightswashington.org/

Every time I read DP, I think double penetration.

@7 Thanks for the clarification, monkey. The solution is to allow marriage for homosexuals AND expand the definition and rights of domestic partnerships, just like they've done in France.

@10 actually i think the solution is to not give anyone "special rights" for being paired off. everyone should have equal access to healthcare and benefits. and everyone should be able to decide who they want to make decisions for them if they are in need. let religious organizations determine who they want to marry or not.

@10 actually i think the solution is to not give anyone "special rights" for being paired off. everyone should have equal access to healthcare and benefits. and everyone should be able to decide who they want to make decisions for them if they are in need. let religious organizations determine who they want to marry or not.

there is something to be said for marriage, tho. it's a committment to be in a partnership, and that means, in very real terms "what's mine is yours, what's yours is mine" and you make it all legally binding and stuff. it encourages "being there for the long haul" and thinking in terms of "us" not "me." it's can be a very good thing, you know. (and i'm in favor of gays having access to it).