A big congratulations to the citizens of Oregon who have at long last won the right to domestic partnerships. From the Basic Rights Oregon press release:
Judge Michael Mosman ruled at 4:25 PM today that opponents of domestic partnership did, indeed, fail to gather the necessary signatures to place the law on the ballot for referendum. “Today the court validated what we’ve known all along – that the support for domestic partnerships in Oregon is strong, and these out-of-state anti-gay groups were trying to cheat Oregon’s election system because they failed,” said Frazzini.
The law takes effect immediately, so county offices will begin to issue domestic partnerships on Monday morning at 9 AM. While domestic partnerships fall short of full marriage rights, they do provide important protections like hospital visitation rights, the ability to make medical decisions for an ailing partner, and estate inheritance.
The Alliance Defense Fund, a right-wing group based in Arizona, is already saying it will appeal the ruling. Because same-sex couples getting partnered (domesticated?) in Oregon (not even married) really threaten the life of red-blooded heterosexuals in Arizona. And they call us sissies . . . .
For the moment, though, let’s celebrate the positive. Best wishes to all the couples lining up outside Oregon courthouses on Monday. I’ll grill some salmon and open up a bottle of Willamette’s finest in your honor. (Sunday is all about the Sam Adams, though, as we revel in Bostonian sports prowess.)
An Oregonian here to say “woohoo!” (And initially when I saw Sam Adams, I thought that you were referencing our gay City Commissioner, hopefully soon to be mayor, but then I realized there’s that other Sam Adams that people like to drink.)
Yup. Some of our favorite guys: Sam and Pete and Ben and Jerry. Who says lesbians don’t like men?