I am glad some of you prefer to call your spouses partners

[dsc]

but because Wanda Sykes doesn't get to use the word wife in Virginia had she collapsed after the Correspondents dinner and been rushed to a Virginia hospital, her parents or her siblings would have had to make all medical decisions and her wife would have not been permitted in her room. Virginia law, which was supported by our current national chairman, bans any and all recognition of any document (be it public or private) that confers any benefit of marriage upon a same sex couple. So you can call yourselves partners until the cows come home and give birth to aliens, but because she can't call herself wife, she doesn't have the rights you do. It doesn't get simpler, or less semantic, than that.

[CTyankee]

1. Thanks. It's good to have a clear understanding.

Some of us get hung up on the "wife" and "husband" thing because of sexism issues. I consider my husband a partner in everything but in reality I refer to him as my husband usually. A partner can be a business partner, a law partner, a partner in a medical practice, etc. The wife/husband thing IS special, as you correctly point out. I would not have been able to be included in my husband's health plan if we had not produced a marriage license. This is important, again, as you correctly point out.

We straights must listen and listen hard to what gays are telling us. We have to talk the talk and walk the walk.

thank you again, dsc.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[Xipe Totec]

3. I call my spouse,

My spouse.

And she has specific instructions, should the situation ever arise, where I cannot speak for myself,


D. N. R.

(Do Not Resuscitate).

Heck, she has specific instructions to pull the plug herself, if necessary.

[Zenlitened]

4. Oh, c'mon! That sort of thing could never happen...

... in real life!

Oh, wait...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=221x119230

:cry: :cry: :cry:

[Lex]

5. If you are legally married, you can call your spouse whatever you'd like

but you'd STILL have a legally recognized marriage.

[LostinVA]

7. You're just bitter because

Well, of something.

hmmmmmmm

[dipsydoodle]

6. I'd have thought it was more common

to call people by their name. For example, I always called my wife who died back in 1990 when she 45, Morag. Would'nt have dreamt of calling her anything else.

[FreakinDJ]

8. Does "Fun Bunns" count

just checking.....

[Honeycombe8]

9. Virginians need to start working on the VA legislature to recognize unions.

Or maybe she and her partner could move? I moved to another state in order to get a better job. People have to do that sort of thing all the time.

[dsc]

14. she lives in CA

but I used her as an example because she was in DC last night. If you take cruises you go through FL which now has the same rules as VA. If you fly to DC you go through VA since it has Reagan national. If you fly to South America you go through Atlanta which has Georgia's ban.

[AllentownJake]

10. The fight is going to be long

but worth it.

I wish we woke up in a society that was equitable, however, we need to fight for the society we want.

I stand with you in the battle. I may disagree on how to fight it or what is worth expending energy over, than again, my rights aren't the one being curtailed in these situations.

[Sparkly]

11. I agree, and the word "partner" is inexact.

Stinky often talks about his "partner" -- that's his business partner.

If I talk about my "partner," it's my dance partner.

I don't know how you feel about it, dsc, but it seems to me it's an "acceptable" word because it can seem vague enough to imply partnerships other than life, romantic, and/or sexual partnerships.

It isn't the same as "wife" or "husband," for anyone. There's no way any words equalize the situation.

[JerseygirlCT]

12. Absolutely. nt

[polichick]

13. I'm 100% with you on gay marriage (have been for decades)...

...and I really think Pres. Obama used the word "partner" because he was including himself and Axelrod in that joke and didn't need for the people who think Colbert is a Republican to jump to the conclusion that the president was suddenly coming out.

(If you're referring to Obama's joke, that is.)