The local news said that domestic partners get about two dozen of 1400 civil rights heterosexual married people get, but they weren't specific. Other than being able to use the word "married" what are the big differences between the two?

You get to order your partner's autopsy. SCORE!

Everything. The only right this provides that you can't get with wills and powers of attorney is the right to sue for wrongful death. You also get a nice pass card to show off when your rights are challenged, kind of like the ones black servants had to carry around when going to their menial jobs in South Africa, and which will no doubt be useless when challenged.

"Oh, I see, but in order to make sure it's not a forgery, I'm gonna have to check with the state's official registry. It should only take a couple days before you can get into your 'partner's' hospital room."

@1, @3 - you're still better off getting married in BC.

exactly like i've always said: we the gays aren't second class citizens. we're third class, aspiring to be second class. what sad climbers we are! shameless. our only hope? subvert the government, render republicans for fuel, put a drag queen on every corner, sell fundies to rich muslims for hunting, make oprah and al gore joint rulers of the universe and invent gay automobiles that run on sarcasm and eat greenhouse gasses. mark my words.

While I don't think Ed Murray bunting this issue was necessarily the worst strategy, this was barely a bunt.

Then again, even hearing "sky is falling" cries from the religious right just over THIS is very telling (about our own religious right, that is.)

Are we just waiting for them to die of natural causes before everyone gets the rights due to them or what?

This is one issue where I trusted Murray initially, and now feel quite embarrassed for doing so.

I

:D

I'm sorry if I didn't say that I think gay people deserve 100% of the rights heteros get. Only an asshole would think differently.

(I am guessing, in the case of divorce or the death of the birth parent, that the spouse/widow(er) has no rights in regards to the child, which would be wrong.)

I think the question to Edwards should have been, in the event that congress decided to OK gay marriage and sent the law up for your signature, would you sign it, or veto it?

OK... that last comment didn't work. How about this...

I "less-than-three" Adrian! for the last part of his comment. Starting at "Make Oprah..."

:D

YEAH!! Second class!! Up from being Third class! I am thinking about singing the theme from the Jefferson's! Who is with me? "We're movin' on up! (movin' on up!) To the Eastside! We are going to get our piece of the PIE!!"

Second Class??? We wish, even slaves in the south could get married. (yeah if they were sold the families wore broken apart) but still SLAVES could get married!!! We have not even made that status in the eyes of society.

@4 Done and done. We got married in Portland when that was briefly legal, and then after that was dissolved, we went to YVR and did it again.

Come on, kids, just for one day try to be happy. Things aren't as good as they should be, but they're better than they used to be.

@8: The question was as much for the audience as for the candidates. Not only did it force certain candidates to articulate the reasoning behind their bigotry, but anyone who listens to it is urged to do the same thing themselves. Coming from a black pastor (so many of whom, like our own unlovable Ken H., are on the opposite side of this debate) just made it all the more powerful.

I'm glad they included it.

I agree. I hope the same question is put before the republicans (though they are less shy about forcing their religious views down peoples throats.

'Just Registered'..how lame.

Second Class?

You can't even use the same waterfountains as the military ...

Face it, it's apartheid.

for real.

Now my question is, what if you have a military couple and they find out you're gay - do they kick you out of on-base housing?

Since it's fed land, guess so - state laws don't apply.

adrian!: I really don't think that Gore would help us much.

"At the outset of his Congressional career in 1976, Gore called homosexuality "abnormal." In 1980 he voted for an amendment prohibiting the Legal Services Corp. from assisting homosexuals whose rights were denied because of their sexual orientation. As a senator, Gore repeatedly backed anti-gay measures devised by Jesse Helms that sought to deny legal protections for gay people, and supported an amendment to use HIV tests to discriminate against immigrants and people seeking health insurance. Even worse, Gore voted with Helms to restore the anti-gay sodomy law in the District of Columbia after the local city council tried to repeal it.”

The Weekly News (Miami) on August 31, 2000

Will in Seattle @ 19,

The current advice is that military types should stay away from the registry since it would "telling" big time. On the other hand, it could be a super Get-Out-of-Iraq-Free-Card.

And yes, let's try to at least be happy we've come this far. It took 29 years to pass that damned anti-discrimination bill and we got this one on the first shot.

You know what makes a difference? CONTACTING YOUR LEGISLATOR! I went to Olympia for Equality Day in February and there were about 1500-2000 of us there to ask our legislators to pass the sex ed bill, domestic partnership and marriage equality bills. One rep told us that he'd received 3,000 e-mails from the wrong-wingers against all three bills.

If the number of people who managed to show up for Pride this year had made it to Olympia that day, we would have marriage equality right now - it's that simple.

shut the fuck up! being gay is fucking great. why? because some other asshole gets to do all of the shit that i don't want to do. THEY fight the wars. do you think that i want equality in the military so that i can get my head blown off by some smelly iraqi? NO! fuck that. YOU fight the war asshole! I will sit here smoking a joint driving around in my Jaguar pointing and laughing at the screen when I see all of you chumps sitting in the middle of the desert in a pile of camel poo. oh boo hoo! some politicians don't like me. FUCK THEM! I wouldn't like me either if I was them. I mean they are fucking butt ugly and old and I am hot. They have to deal with responsibilities and shit. SO you know what? keep your fucking marriage institution. I don;t want it. I mean look at you guys. Miserable, married to some fat pig for 20 years who makes you bald and takes all your money. having some ugly snot nosed brat. your institution is SHIT. who wants it? not me man. fuck marriage.

The problem with most gays is that they beat around the bush too much. the gay pride movement needs a new motto....."Yeah I am gay, you got a problem with it fuck off and leave me alone you filthy fucking cunts." thats the new motto.