State to same-sex domestic partners: You’re about to be married

The Seattle Times ^ | Feb. 15, 2014 | Lornett Turnbull

[steve86]

On June 30, the state of Washington will convert to marriage the domestic partnerships of thousands of gay and lesbian couples who have not gotten married on their own or not gotten a legal dissolution.

Thousands of gay and lesbian domestic partners who have not married or legally dissolved their unions by the end of June will have their relationships automatically converted to marriage — courtesy of the state.

It’s the final piece of the state’s same-sex marriage law — a provision about which many couples are apparently unaware and one sure to trigger some uncomfortable conversations.

Although domestic partnerships are essentially marriage by a different name, “people don’t think of them as the same thing ...” said Jason Holloway, president of QLaw Association, the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender bar association.

Those being plunged into matrimony will no doubt include couples who simply hadn’t given it much thought.

Or there will be those who broke up in the years since they registered as domestic partners, some of them now married — illegally — to other people.

[Chode]

and legally liable for all their debts public and private...

let the lawsuits commence!!!

[Mrs. Don-o]

Overheard a gay guy "... yeah, it took me 20 years to convince my mother that I really, really AM gay, and now she's after me again: 'So why aren't you married?'"

As gay "traditionalist" marchers in Gay Paree put it in the big anti-gay-demonstrations last year: "Nous sommes plus gai sans mariage" : "We're gayer without marriage."

[Tanniker Smith]

I believe that if equal is equal than you can’t have gay marriage and civil unions, unless you have civil unions for straight couples. Not sure why you’d want them, but you’d need them for equality.

[PLMerite]

I could see states that now allow gay marriage doing away with domestic partnerships for everyone. If people want the advantages of marriage they can just go whole hog and get married. Sh!t or get off the pot.

[tophat9000]

Well the flip side is common law marriage if your live together for a length of time as man and wife .. and also annulment of a marriage not consummated..gays can not consummate in that they can not have true sexual intercourse...as Bill Clinton technicality claimed he never had a sexual relationship with Monica

[VerySadAmerican]

So, you have a roommate in Washington and you end up being married.

[Mike Darancette]

...unless you have civil unions for straight couples.

Kalifornia does.