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REPORT HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENCE
national news
First in the nation
Domestic partner bill passes California legislature
by a narrow margin
▼
by Rex Wockner
C
alifornia became the first U.S. state
to pass a domestic partner registra
tion law Aug. 25.
The measure is on the desk of
Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, who
has not said if he will sign it.
“We should do everything in our power to
urge the governor to sign this
bill,” said Laurie McBride of
Life AIDS Lobby, the main
pressure group behind the
measure. “The legislature is
getting more conservative—
our window of opportunity is
now.”
The bill passed the Senate
by a 21-17 vote, with not a
vote to spare. It passed the
Assembly 45-26 in final form.
Senate passage came only
after frustrated supporters
went to the home of 76-year-
old legislator Leroy Greene
and fetched him from his sickbed to cast the
decisive vote. The measure had sat stalled in the
Senate for several hours prior to Greene’s arrival.
Introduced by Assemblyman Richard Katz
(D-Los Angeles), the legislation allows commit
ted couples who live together and share expenses
to register with the secretary of state as “domestic
partners” and receive some benefits of marriage.
Registered partners would have family visita
tion rights in hospitals, legal preference to admin
ister each other’s affairs should one partner be
come incapacitated, and the ability to use a stan
dard legal form to will each other property.
Lobbyists for the bill used a new tactic this
year—arguing the measure would be good for
senior citizens, who often live
together without marrying to
maintain certain Social Secu
rity benefits.
Testimony by senior citi
zen advocacy groups was cru
cial to the bill’s success, lob
byists said. Supporters included
the Older Women’s League,
the Gray Panthers, the Califor
nia Senior Legislature, the Cali
fornia Congress of Seniors, and
the American Association of
Retired Persons.
Sponsor Katz said the bill
“reaffirms what I believe is a
basic family value— the ability to care for some
one you love.”
Gov. Wilson’s fax number is (916) 445-4633.
Testimony by
senior citizen
advocacy groups
Evenings o f Passion.
No Regrets In The Morning.
The Portland Opera 1994-95 Season
Puccini’s beloved
LA BOHEME
In Italian with projected Knglish Titles
Sept. 24, 26, 28, Oct. I, 1994
Wagner’s breathtaking
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN
In German with projected Knglish Titles
Nov. 5, 7,9, 12, 1994
Offenbach’s fantastical
T h e T ales o f H o ffm a n n
In French with projected Knglish Titles
March 25, 27, 29, April 1, 1995
Rossini’s rollicking
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE
In Italian with projected Knglish Titles
May 13, IS, 17, 20, 1995
Gershwin’s brilliant
PORGY & BESS
July, 1995
Plus
PAVAROTTI ON NEW YEAR S EVE!
Celebrating Portland Opera’s 30th /Anniversary Season
with The Concert of a Lifetime!
December 31, 1994 at 7:00 pm , Portland Memorial Coliseum
Robert Bailey, General Director
Portland Opera • 1516 SW Alder • Portland, OR 97205
was crucial to the
bilTs success ,
lobbyists said.
New White House counsel
Abner Mikva’s appointment as White House
counsel to the president may have significant
impact for the lesbian and gay communities.
The 68-year-old former representative is a
traditional liberal. As chief judge of the U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Co
lumbia, he wrote the opinion of a three-member
panel that ruled in favor of Joe Steffan and his
challenge to the ban on gay men and lesbians
serving in the military.
In the opinion, Mikva wrote, “A court need not
close its eyes to the dictates of the Constitution
whenever the military is involved—not even when
it professes a national security interest in its
conduct. There is no ‘military exemption’ to the
Constitution.”
San Diego’s Gay and Lesbian Times
contributed to this article.
He wrote, “The secretary [of defense] has
accorded Mr. Steffan differential treatment solely
because of the content of his thoughts, as revealed
by his truthful statement that he is a homosexual.
We think this is repugnant to the various common
law and constitutional principles that guard the
sanctity of a person’s thoughts against govern
ment control.”
Gay men and lesbians can take heart from the
prospect that a man of these views will join the
inner circle of the White House on Oct. 1, a date
determined by the full vesting of his court pen
sion. One can hope that he will have some positive
influence on administration policy and actions
towards the sexual minority community.
Bob Roehr