Kevin Vail sent me this copy of the WASHINGTON BLADE article on the DC
Domestic Partnership Law...

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[Here is the complete text of the article that was in the Blade this
Friday. All typos mine except if marked by [sic]. -- Kevin]

D.C. Partners law survives another attack

by Cheryl L. Coward

[from The Washingon Blade, reproduced without permission]

D.C.'s domestic partnership law this week survived another round of
attacks from Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives.

During a debate Wednesday on the D.C appropriations bill, Rep. Clyde
Holloway (R-La) attempted to offer an amendment which would prevent
federal funds from being used to implement, administer, or enforce
the domestic partnership law.

The House voted 231-181 against Holloway's amendment by approving a
procedural motion to block all amendments from the bill.  However,
members of Congress did spend at least 35 minutes discussing the
partners law.

Holloway, who led a failed attempt last month to derail the law in the
House Committee on the District of Columbia, once again led a group
of conservative House members in assailing the law.  In criticizing
the legislation on the House floor, Holloway stuck to his position
that the law is "immoral," that it will "undermine the institution of
marriage," and that it will lead to the destruction of the "moral
structure of our nation."

Holloway repeatedly attacked Lesbians and Gay men and said, "I do not
think anyone that is homosexual can stand here on this floor and
openly tell me that homosexuality is good for the future of America."

Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Calif) supported Holloway's amendments and
made several erroneous statements about the law.  Dornan claimed that
the only people who coudl register as domestic partners are couples
who admit to the District government that they have engaged in
"intimate sexual perverted contact with one another."

"Therefore," said Dornan, "the whole domestic partner thing--whether
it is the beautiful city by the bay in San Francisco or right here in
this gorgeous District of Columbia--it is founded on a fraudulent
premise that one must establish illicit sex, what some people
consider mortal sinning, or one does not get to qualify with their
partner."  In fact, the law establishes a city-wide registry through
which unmarried couples can record their domestic partnerships and
secure a number of benefits, including health-care if one partner is
a District government employee.  The law has no language requiring
partners (Gay or straight) to disclose information about their sexual
activities.  Unmarried grandparents with custody of their unmarried
grandchildren, unmarried siblings, and the unmarried elderly or
widowed can also apply to be domestic partners.

Dornan also made other inaccurate comments about the law, prompting
D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) to shake her head, saying "that
is not true."

Norton, D.C. Committee Chair Ronald V. Dellums (D-Calif), and Julian
C. Dixon (D-Calif) all defended the law and the right of the D.C.
government to pass it.

"The people in the District of Columbia passed an act," said Dellums. 
"That is their right."  Dellums went on the [sic] criticize the whole
debate.

"I would suggest we move beyond this rather ridiculous debate," said
Dellums.  "We should not be discussing these matters on the floor of
Congress against the backdrop of the District of Columbia bill."

Holloway lost a battle last month in the District committee when he
tried to gain passage of a resolution which would have overturned the
bill outright.

Despite Holloway's defeat again in the House, Gay activists expect
similar tactics from conservatives against the law when the D.C.
appropriations bill reaches the Senate.  Congress is in recess for
the Democratic National Convention until July 21.

[end]