Features

Protests against domestic partner bill

The Associated Press
Sunday October 14, 2001

SACRAMENTO — A traditional family coalition, claiming to represent a majority of the state’s opinion, rallied at the Capitol on Friday, asking the governor to veto a domestic partners bill. 

The Campaign for California Families opposes a bill to provide gay and lesbian couples and senior heterosexual couples a dozen of the same rights given to heterosexual married couples. Supporters call it the biggest expansion of domestic partner law in the country. 

Campaign leader Randy Thomasson said Friday, “All over the state people are finding something awful is happening in the Capitol.” 

Thomasson, standing with 40 supporters after similar rallies in five other cities this week, said Gov. Gray Davis should veto the bill for reasons he’s used with others: that it’s a drain on the budget. 

“He has a choice to be a man of his word and fiscally responsible, or he can become the biggest hypocrite in the state,” Thomasson said. 

The Campaign claims the bill would cost the state $1 million per year, but the proponents say it would save money in tax benefits. 

Davis has until midnight Sunday to sign or veto the bill. 

Supporters of the legislation by Assemblywoman Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, say it’s only fair that gay partners get more of the same rights as heterosexual married couples. 

Eric Astacaan of the California Alliance for Pride and Equality, said, “These are critical tools that couples need in times of crisis.” 

Among them are rights to make medical decisions for incapacitated partners, sue for wrongful deaths, act as conservators and adopt a partner’s child. Other rights include sick leave to care for a family member and provide partners with employer-based health care coverage. 

Astacaan said, “They are very basic. You would think with all the things that are happening right now these things would not rile people up.” 

The domestic partner bill follows Migden’s 1999 legislation creating a registry for domestic partners at the Secretary of State’s office. More than 16,000 people signed up, giving them rights to visit partners in the hospital and negotiate state health benefits for partners. Astacaan said the city of San Francisco and corporations such as American Airlines, Microsoft, Intel and Apple offer health benefits for domestic partners. 

Thomasson said Migden’s bill undermines a March 2000 vote in which most voters said marriage should be between a man and woman. 

Gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon also called on Davis to veto the bill. 

Read AB25 at www.assembly.ca.gov.