Bill To Expand Domestic Partnerships Passes State Senate

Carole Migden's SB 11 passed the state senate 23-15 on Monday, before Friday's "cross-over" deadline for bills originating in one house to pass at least one chamber of the state Legislature. SB 11 would amend the definition of domestic partners in California to allow all adult opposite-sex couples to register as domestic partners with the Secretary of State. Current state law restricts domestic partners to same-sex couples of any age or opposite sex couples where one partner is 62 or older.

Of course, the heterosexist supremacists are apoplectic about the bill. Randy Thomasson, a professional homophobe who has filed multiple anti-gay ballot measures with the California Attorney General, said "If SB 11 becomes the law, marriage will be functionally abolished."

Migden says that her reason for expanding marriage is to give an option to heterosexual couples who do not want to participate in a discriminatory institution like marriage which currently bars same-sex couples, a.k.a. the Brangelina position.

The bill moves onto the State Assembly, where it is likely to pass. The Governor, who has already vowed to (again!) veto Mark Leno's Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act (AB 43) which would end marriage discrimination against same-sex couples has not publicly taken a position on ending domestic partnership discrimination against opposite sex couples.