Yesterday, the Oregon Senate approved a bill (already approved by the House) which will create domestic partnership for same-sex couples in this state! This comes on the heels of recent legislation creating an anti-discrimination law for LGBT Oregonians. We're so excited!
As you might recall, Mateo and I went down to Salem a couple of months ago for a rally for these two bills. It's pretty neat to have followed them all the way through and now have them become law. It has been a looooong time coming.
Now Sacha and I can be domestic partners again! We've been there before, in California, and also been married twice - once in a wonderful ceremony in 2003 with our family and friends present, and once at San Francisco City Hall in 2004, when San Francisco decided to start marrying same-sex couples. We've decided that our third (and final) marriage will happen when it's federally legalized.
However, since moving to Oregon, we've noticed the dramatic decrease in (well, disappearance of, actually) our rights as a couple, and then as a family. Sometimes we ask ourselves why we moved, because we had it so good in California! CA's domestic partnership system currently gives all rights and responsibilities of marriage on the state level, so that covers a lot of things. For example, if Mateo had been born to us in California, Sacha would have been automatically listed as his parent on his birth certificate. The state of Oregon, until this coming January, has given no protection for couples and families like ours whatsoever. So, we are thrilled that this has come to pass (pun intended).
Thank you to all the Oregon legislators who worked so hard to finally get these bills through, and to Basic Rights Oregon, which seems to have made sudden and dramatic progress towards achieving its mission!
1 comment:
Yay!!!! I was doing my own cheers as I drove home yesterday. I think Mateo is your good luck charm!
Post a Comment