So at least in California, it seems that registered partners will get visitation rights with their mate that is locked up. Kind of odd, I mean given how California also refuses to let gays marry, and Arnold keeps putting his Veto power to work on those measures. Now here is the California Correctional Authority about to grant same sex partners the right to overnight visitation.
(San Francisco, California) The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has agreed that it will no longer bar lesbian and gay prisoners access to overnight family visitation with their registered domestic partners. (see Story)
Course the issue is, if it is illegal for them to deny same benefits to registered partners, and that under California law they have to treat them as the same as married folk, why in the hell isn’t called Marriage? I mean I do not get the hang up the Christian Right has in this matter.
In the demand letter, the ACLU pointed out that it was illegal for the prison to continue to deny domestic partners family visits because California law requires that domestic partners be treated the same as married couples who have access to family visits. (see Story)
I know I insist it has to be called Marriage, because of this very reason actually. It requires clarification, that sometimes goes awry. If it was called Marriage, the ACLU more than likely wouldn’t have become involved. In addition, the visits would be on going now, not needed a new statewide policy to make it clear.
Just proves the point. Marriage is a lot more than some Religious connotation. It has more relevant meanings within a society that bases its responses on precedents. Marriage has set a whole bunch, and why should we be forced to win those very rights, all over again, when Married folk already have won them?
Isn’t that what ‘Equal Protection Under the Law‘ means?
