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I was waiting for someone to file a suit like this. My own employer makes opposite-sex domestic partners jump through additional hoops that are not required for same-sex domestic partners. Opposite-sex domestic partners can't even enroll for benefits online, but same-sex DPs can do everything as if they were married.

I still remember the HR meeting I attended about the new benefits package:

ME: "Do you have to be gay to get the domestic partner benefit?"

little HR wonkette: "Oh, no, there's an opposite-sex DP benefit."

ME: "but what if I want a same-sex DP benefit, and I'm not gay?"

HR wonkette: "Um...you need to sign an affidavit that you're in a loving and committed relationship."

ME: "Does that mean if my marriage isn't loving and committed, my wife could lose benefits?"

HR wonkette: "I don't think I want to answer any more of your questions..."

I had pretty much the EXACT same thing happen to me about oh four years ago...

Was a new employee at a workplace that is most recognized by three letters starting with the most common vowel and ending with the most common consonant...

At the time I was in a long term relationship (with my wife, but we were just living together at the time and not even engaged) going on about three years. She was self employed, so had no benefits of her own...not that either of us really needed any, we made enough money.

Anyways the presenter was talking about the benefits for married couples and such which sounded okay. Then she started talking about the "domestic partner" plan which was pretty much identicle to the married plan.

I asked "so what if I have a male roommate? Could I simply declare he was my partner?"

"Yes as long as you are in a commited relationship"

"Does a long term lease qualify?"

"No"

"So how do you KNOW that we are in a commited relationship"

"You fill out this form that says you are in a commited relationship with your partner, both of you sign it, and then for our benefits you are considered married, would you like the form?"

"Can my girlfriend, who I've been living with for three years now and I fill that paper out the same way?"

"No, opposite sex unmarried couples will be rejected from the benefits program"

to which I replied in front of 30 other people "so this is effectively special treatment for unmarried, gay couples, that us heterosexuals in this room are not entitled to? That's hardly fair"

"I think we should move on to the 401K"

Sounds like a discourse I had with my son's elementary school teacher many years ago:

She had sent a list of words for spelling study home that contained two misspelled words.

I sent a note back explaining the proper spelling for the words and asking if she had corrected the other kids' lists.

She sent back a note saying that it was a transcription error and she pulled the lists and would issue a new one.

I sent back the comment that it would be much better if she used the list as an example of why proper spelling was important.

Her last note back to me began, "I'm sorry you don't like me..."

"HR wonkette: 'I don't think I want to answer any more of your questions...'"

LOL! Go get 'em! I love it. I'm so glad to see this case.

My sister is a lesbian Femi-Gnatzie and we have had many arguments about this. She has every right to work benefits that I do as a married heterosexual, and she can d@mn well PAY for them HERSELF as we do as a self-employed couple. She wants health insurance? Buy it. She wants dental? Buy it. She wants her "partner" to have POA? Get a lawyer. She wants death benefits for herself and her partner? Buy insurance. It's NOT Rocket Science.

I actually gave her a copy of The Constitution and The Bill of Rights, asking her to show me exactly where my rights as a citizen end and her special interest rights begin.

She hates it when I do things like that to her, LOL!