IN FAVOR: Ty Bradley, left, and Scott Self hug in the new home they bought a few months back. Bradley, president of the Orange County chapter of Log Cabin Republicans, supports Assembly Bill 205 for both organizational and personal reasons.
Posted on 08/15/2003 10:19:25 AM PDT by bedolido
A bill that grants domestic partners most of the rights and responsibilities given to married couples under California law is heating up the debate over gay marriage.
Opponents say Assembly Bill 205 undermines traditional values and the sanctity of marriage.
Supporters of the Domestic Partner Rights and Responsibilities Act of 2003 say it's an issue of fairness and civil rights.
The bill will be heard Monday by the Senate appropriations committee. It is on track to land on Gov. Gray Davis' desk before the Oct. 7 recall election.
Only heterosexual couples in which at least one partner is older than 62 and same-sex couples can register as domestic partners.
Since January 2000, when domestic partner registration went into effect in California, the Secretary of State's Office has recorded 20,319 such partnerships.
Registrants are not required to state whether they are same-sex or heterosexual couples, but the majority are believed to be same-sex couples, said Sophia Kwong, legislative director for Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles, a gay legislator and chief author of the bill.
Kwong said the opposition's "gay marriage" label is a scare tactic because Proposition 22 prevents same-sex marriage in California. Passed three years ago, the initiative stated that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
OPPONENTS FIGHT FOR THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE
Those who argue against the legislation say their opposition is not just about gay marriage but about protecting marriage as an institution.
Randy Thomasson, executive director of Campaign for California Families, a statewide family-issues organization founded in 1999, said he opposes giving the rights of spouses to non-spouses, whether they are same-sex or heterosexual couples.
"The legal value and uniqueness of marriage will be cheapened," he said.
The bill does not and cannot extend some 1,000 benefits and rights afforded married couples under federal law. It also excludes a few protections that the state constitution and voter initiatives limit to civil marriages.
Should it be enacted, however, it would move California closer to civil unions that so far only the state of Vermont extends to same-sex couples.
The rights granted under the bill to registered domestic partners include: jointly filing state taxes, gaining custody of children upon the death of a partner, not having to testify against each other in court.
Other provisions address health insurance, death benefits, community property, government benefits and legal claims.
The legislation would impose new obligations of registered domestic partners. Among them: child support and alimony when a partnership dissolves, debt liability, and combining household income when applying for government aid.
(Excerpt) Read more at 2.ocregister.com ...
IN FAVOR: Ty Bradley, left, and Scott Self hug in the new home they bought a few months back. Bradley, president of the Orange County chapter of Log Cabin Republicans, supports Assembly Bill 205 for both organizational and personal reasons.
Gray Davis has moved leftward since the recall became likely to qualify. If he signs this, it won't bring out the few homosexual votes, since they'll be happy to stay home, but it should upset conservatives and mainstream people enough to draw them to the polls to oust Davis. I hope he vetoes it.
It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe [unto him], through whom they come! (Luke 17:1)
Enjoy sodomy as you'll spend an eternity shoveling coal.
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