and some good news too

[mamajoan]

A new California law gives same-sex couples expanded rights.

A law taking effect with the new year gives gay couples who register as domestic partners nearly the same responsibilities and benefits as married spouses. Heterosexual elderly couples also are eligible.

Same-sex couples in California for the first time will have access to divorce court for dividing their assets, seeking alimony and securing child support. They also will have automatic parental status over children born during the relationship and responsibility for each other's debts.

It guarantees domestic partners a say over what happens to their loved one's remains at death and means they cannot be forced to testify against each other in state courts.

Yay for California. Hey, it's a start.

Comments

[maggiesox.livejournal.com]

Go California! I swear, if it weren't crowded and expensive, I'd totally move there.

Maybe Canada...

Canada and California

[techn0goddess.livejournal.com]

It's amazing to me how reasonable the Canadian discussion of this issue has been. They seem to have the Jon Stewart reaction to gay marriage: "Are they making it mandatory? No? Then what do I care?"

I'm glad that the Governator was more interested in civil rights than in slavish devotion to the right-wing of the GOP, and that he signed the domestic partnership bill. I hope the domestic partnership bill gives Pat Robertson an ulcer. Couldn't happen to a nicer person.

[victoriacatlady.livejournal.com]

I don't get the part about elderly heterosexual couples. Why only elderly? Do they mean long-term couples who have been together a certain number of years? Common-law here only requires, um, three years? Not enough to necessarily be elderly, anyway.