More Gay Marriage - Complaints about CA the recall and budget aside, I live in a state that is making positive strides in acknowledging my relationship. Secretary of State Kevin Shelley's office just sent us our domestic partnership certificate (suitable for framing!) in the mail. (Scan forthcoming.)

The Village Voice makes a case for an even greater expansion of marriage rights for gays. The author points out that even for straight couples, civil recognition of their relationships serves the purpose of sanctifying "some couples at the expense of others." She goes on to point out that this selective legitimacy is more than symbolic. "As soon as the law passed, the University of Vermont announced it would no longer grant health benefits to gay and lesbian employees' domestic partners unless they got legally hitched. Such legitimacy would also help to resolve one of my pet peeves, discussed in this space before. It pisses me off to see the term "partner" being bandied about, as it was in the most recent edition of The Advocate. Another reason that I think a common language to discuss our relationships only heightens the legitimacy of gay marriage.