Yurt
07-23-2007, 02:02 PM
While the law allows older hetros, it clearly is designed solely for homosexuals. I see an equal protection issue here.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003802265_webpartners23m.html
A festive scene in Olympia today as domestic partners register
By Andrew Garber
Seattle Times staff reporter
PREV of NEXT
GREG GILBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Domestic partners for 30+ years, Jim Malatak, left, and Rick Sturgill, right, both from Seattle, who were first in line this morning to file as legal domestic partners, celebrate outside after receiving an ID card and paperwork.
Related
From print | Law lets couples be "partners"
Postman on Politics blog | See the ID card
Silly, serious laws go into effect
OLYMPIA — Richard Sturgill and James Malatak are Washington's first card-carrying domestic partners — the result of arriving at the Secretary of State's office in the middle of the night Monday.
"It's an important day for all gays in Washington state," said Sturgill, 53, who has been partners with Malatak, 65, for 30 years. "This is a significant first step in the evolution for getting our rights."
The Seattle couple spent the night in Olympia and arrived at the steps in front of the corporations office at 4 a.m., to make sure they could get in and out quickly. They were joined by a large crowd. By 8 a.m., when the doors opened, the line stretched around the corner.
The state's new domestic partnership law, which went into effect Sunday, gives gay and lesbian couples some of the rights granted to married couples, including the right to visit a partner in the hospital, inherit a partner's property without a will and make funeral arrangements.
To qualify, the couples must file an affidavit of domestic partnership with the Secretary of State's Office. The state then gives them a certificate with a state seal, and plastic cards that say "State registered domestic partnership" and lists their names. On the back it cites the chapter where the law can be viewed.
It's been a festive affair at the state office today, with lots of joking and laughter. A couple of women showed up in wedding veils. One couple drove off in a car decorated with balloons and a large sign that said "Just registered." There were no sign of protesters by mid-morning.
The state has been planning for the registration rush for weeks. Workers put portable toilets in the back parking lot at the Secretary of State's office and are handing out numbers to couples so they'll have an indication of how long they'll have to wait.
Unmarried heterosexual couples in which at least one partner is 62 or older also are eligible to register as domestic partners. Lawmakers say older heterosexuals were included because they face the possibility of losing pension rights and Social Security benefits if they remarry after a spouse dies.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003802265_webpartners23m.html
A festive scene in Olympia today as domestic partners register
By Andrew Garber
Seattle Times staff reporter
PREV of NEXT
GREG GILBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Domestic partners for 30+ years, Jim Malatak, left, and Rick Sturgill, right, both from Seattle, who were first in line this morning to file as legal domestic partners, celebrate outside after receiving an ID card and paperwork.
Related
From print | Law lets couples be "partners"
Postman on Politics blog | See the ID card
Silly, serious laws go into effect
OLYMPIA — Richard Sturgill and James Malatak are Washington's first card-carrying domestic partners — the result of arriving at the Secretary of State's office in the middle of the night Monday.
"It's an important day for all gays in Washington state," said Sturgill, 53, who has been partners with Malatak, 65, for 30 years. "This is a significant first step in the evolution for getting our rights."
The Seattle couple spent the night in Olympia and arrived at the steps in front of the corporations office at 4 a.m., to make sure they could get in and out quickly. They were joined by a large crowd. By 8 a.m., when the doors opened, the line stretched around the corner.
The state's new domestic partnership law, which went into effect Sunday, gives gay and lesbian couples some of the rights granted to married couples, including the right to visit a partner in the hospital, inherit a partner's property without a will and make funeral arrangements.
To qualify, the couples must file an affidavit of domestic partnership with the Secretary of State's Office. The state then gives them a certificate with a state seal, and plastic cards that say "State registered domestic partnership" and lists their names. On the back it cites the chapter where the law can be viewed.
It's been a festive affair at the state office today, with lots of joking and laughter. A couple of women showed up in wedding veils. One couple drove off in a car decorated with balloons and a large sign that said "Just registered." There were no sign of protesters by mid-morning.
The state has been planning for the registration rush for weeks. Workers put portable toilets in the back parking lot at the Secretary of State's office and are handing out numbers to couples so they'll have an indication of how long they'll have to wait.
Unmarried heterosexual couples in which at least one partner is 62 or older also are eligible to register as domestic partners. Lawmakers say older heterosexuals were included because they face the possibility of losing pension rights and Social Security benefits if they remarry after a spouse dies.