Good same-sex couple news from D.C.

I didn’t even know the Omnibus Domestic Partnership Equality Amendment Act of 2008 was in the works and — lo! and behold — it passed the District of Columbia Council unanamously. Now the Congress has thirty legislative days to kill it; if there’s no action, it becomes law. If there’s a rumble, I shall call on you in Represented America to call your representatives.

The act changes:

39 new provisions which affect various laws in D.C., in particular how domestic partners fit into a family. For instance, the Human Rights Act of 1977 was expanded to include domestic partners in the definition of a family member. Previously the act specified an individual, his or her spouse — implying a legally married couple by definition — a dependent child, and any person related to either by blood.

Other provisions include adding domestic partnerships as a marital status; granting domestic partners survivor benefits in regards to retirement, workers’ compensation and other financial matters; and granting domestic partners equal footing with married couples regarding housing law. “D.C. Council Passes Domestic Partner Law Expansion” (DCist)

It’s not marriage and it is incremental — Hubby and I didn’t get a domestic partnership when they first became available because it was almost useless — but is incremental in the right direction.

I am quite happy and can’t wait to review all the new rights Hubby and I might enjoy. So you know I’ll call on you and your friends if there’s a move a-foot to crush it.

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