Domestic Partners

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Governor of Maryland has notified state employees that shared benefits for domestic partners will end on December 31, and if they want to continue their health insurance coverage, they'll have to get married. [ Read more → ]

LANSING, Mich. — A decision to provide health insurance to same-sex domestic partners of Michigan state government employees has been left intact. [ Read more → ]

SANTA FE, N.M. -- New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez is drawing criticism over her veto of legislation that would have required the state to expedite the occupational and professional licenses of domestic partners of gay military service members. [ Read more → ]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A Florida state Senate panel on Monday passed the "Families First bill," a measure that would provide limited legal protections for same-sex unmarried partners by creating a statewide domestic partnership registry. [ Read more → ]

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- A majority of Nevadans favor repealing the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, according to a newly released survey. [ Read more → ]

A pair of Republican Texas lawmakers have introduced two pieces of anti-gay legislation, one which would cut funding for schools and universities that have policies in place that support LGBT students, faculty, or staff, and another measure that would allow discrimination based on religious beliefs. [ Read more → ]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The sponsor of a Florida domestic partnership bill says she'll rework it after the measure ran into opposition from her own committee. [ Read more → ]

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming State Senate on Thursday defeated a bill that would have banned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. [ Read more → ]

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A bill that would have would have allowed same-sex couples in Wyoming to create domestic partnerships carrying most of the legal rights of marriage died Wednesday on a close vote in the state House of Representatives. [ Read more → ]

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A bill that would allow same-sex couples in Wyoming to create domestic partnerships carrying most of the legal rights of heterosexual marriage has cleared a committee vote and is headed to consideration in the full House. [ Read more → ]

I don’t want to rain on anyone’s LGBT Inaugural moment, however… Even though the President mentioned Stonewall along with Selma and Seneca Falls in the same sentence, he doesn’t really see gay marriage as a civil rights issue that needs to be helped along by the federal government. For the truth of the matter is, no matter what President Obama may say, and no matter where he is when he says it – he still believes that marriage equality belongs in the hands of the States. [ Read more → ]

A proposal to allow civil unions for gay couples is set to breeze through the Democratic controlled Colorado state legislature. Senate Democrats stand poised to give initial approval to a civil unions bill Wednesday as the plan comes before a legislative committee for the first time this session [ Read more → ]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A Florida lawmaker has introduced a bill that would allow Floridians to enter "domestic partnerships." State Sen. Eleanor Sobel (D-Fort Lauderdale) introduced the “Families First” bill (SB 196), which would extend legal protections to same-sex couples, including hospital visitation rights and the... [ Read more → ]

The Wisconsin Court of Appeals on Friday upheld as constitutional the state's Domestic Partner Registry, affirming a lower court decision that the law does not violate the state's constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. [ Read more → ]

MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin Supreme Court has declined to take up a case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s domestic partnership registry law until it’s gone through the normal appeals process. [ Read more → ]

As we in the gay community continue the fight for gay marriage – there is still the ground-swell of: “Why do you need to be married? Can’t you just have a lawyer draw up all the legal papers you need? Just be domestic partners, that will give you all the legal rights you need.” [ Read more → ]

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Indianapolis City-County Council has approved an ordinance to provide health-care benefits to the domestic partners of city employees. [ Read more → ]

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- A possible piece of legislation could bring major changes to the St. Louis LGBT community, namely domestic partnership benefits for city firefighters. [ Read more → ]

TOLEDO, Ohio -- City employees who are partnered but not married could receive health care and other benefits under a proposed measure that would extend benefits to the domestic partners of Toledo's employees, provided they have certified their status with Toledo's Domestic Partner Registry. [ Read more → ]

Welcome to 2012! We got a lot of work to do this year, so let's roll up our sleeves and get to work. The new year marks new civil union laws in Delaware, Hawaii, and California. Psychologists in North Carolina lash out at anti-gay prejudice, LGBTs can marry in Cancun -- probably -- and something fishy's going on with civil unions in the European Union. [ Read more → ]