Some straight couples choose domestic partnership over marriage

[Kadie]

Some straight couples choose domestic partnership over marriage


By MARTHA IRVINE, AP National Writer

(Updated Monday, April 26, 2004, 12:09 PM)


CHICAGO (AP) - As same-sex couples fight for their right to marry, some straight couples - who could marry if they wanted to - are deciding against it. Instead, they're registering as "domestic partners," an option offered by some cities and counties, mainly with gay and lesbian couples in mind.


National statistics aren't available, since some municipalities don't track domestic partners' gender or make their registries public. But experts are noting early signs that, while the marriage rate continues to decline, these alternative arrangements are piquing some straight couples' interest.

Some heterosexuals, following a trend already popular in such countries as Sweden and France, choose domestic partnership for practical reasons.

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http://newsobserver.com/24hour/nation/story/1318863p-8477944c.html

[Bertha Venation]

1. See?! See?! It's that god-damned slippery slope! I told you so!

Pretty soon we're not going to be able to tell who's married, who's partnered, who's boyfriended or girlfriended or transgenderedfriended or . . . oh, my God . . .

shriieeeeeeeeeeekkk!

[adriennel]

2. yes! this is what I've been waiting for

to all those concerned with the "sanctity of marriage"...you can have it! I prefer a domestic partnership any day. 8 blissful marriage-free years and counting. Not to discourage others from marrying in the traditional sense...I just decided it's not for me, and it's nice to have some recognition between "church-sanctioned marriage" and well, "nothing".

[HootieMcBoob]

3. We are!

My partner and I are hetero types. Have been together for 8 years and are registered as domestic partners in New York City.

[MadHound]

4. Glad to see this occuring

Having been living with a SO myself for extended length of time, I think is great that they are now offering the legal benefits to go with it.

Quite frankly I think that every couple who is contemplating marriage be forced to live together for a couple-three years. Jumping into a marriage when all you know about the person is when you're going out on a date is foolish, for all that you are seeing of that other person is when they are all decked and on their best behaviour. The true test of whether you love somebody is when their disheveled and in a pissy mood. If you as couple can get through that, then you can get through a lot. But without living together, you just won't be exposed to all of those little, annoying things that can break up a marriage.

After five years, I married my SO, and now we've been together ten years, and we're looking forward to many many more.

[Kadie]

7. Hubby and I lived together for a few years too.

We have now been married almost 15 years. Living together taught me that that the person you think is perfect really isn't and that you yourself can be kind of a hard person to live with. When you realize that you love that person enough to look past certain differences, then you can move on to the next step.

Congratulations on 15 years together.

[Cleita]

5. Interesting.

In my generation's days you had to get married to acquire many legal rights. However, I have always been ambivalent about the concept of marriage. I always thought of it as servitude of women and a large burden of financial responsibility for men. As a matter of fact, the most often quoted reason that I got for not earning as much as a man was that a man had to support a family.

I often thought, if women earned as much as men and had some help with childcare, women wouldn't need to get married at all. Children could take their mother's name. There would be no illigitimate children or children of divorce or broken homes. When a male partner outlived his welcome, the family matriarch could just kick him out.

Okay, I am sort of kidding, but it's always been a thought of mine, about how we can bring back matriarchy starting in the home.

[welshTerrier2]

6. 26 years

my SO and I are a hetero couple and we've been living together for more than 26 years ...

i recently contacted my state rep (in Massachusetts) to try to persuade her to modify the currently proposed constitutional amendment in MA that would outlaw gay marriage but legalize civil unions for gay couples but not straight couples ... i asked her to change the language so that straight couples could also opt for civil unions ...

a few months ago there was an article in the paper that the city of Cleveland Heights passed a law that included a provision allowing both gays and straights to obtain civil unions ...

hetero couples who choose not to get married should still be able to take advantage of the rights and responsibilities of civil unions ... i'm not sure why, but Mitt Romney (who is just plain awful in every respect, btw) and other right-wing republicans are pushing something similar to this ... what's up with that ? i believe some of them are pushing to eliminate "marriage" and make all such state-recognized relationships "civil unions" ... imho, that's the way it should be !!