March 4, 2015

As a mother of a daughter who identifies herself as a lesbian, I am in support of the domestic partnership law.  I feel the law recently passed by our state government is an important step forward.  However, I want my daughter to have the same rights and privileges that heterosexual couples have.  Unfortunately, in the United States, domestic partnership is mandated on a state by state basis.  Domestic partnership should be a federal law rather than a state law because it should be every human being’s right to marry whomever they want.

Wisconsin passed the domestic partnership into judicial law in 2014 when the Wisconsin Supreme Court refused to hear cases petitioning domestic partnership (National Conference of State Legislators, 2015).  Therefore, Wisconsin now has a judicial ruling approving same-sex marriages.  One of the issues with not allowing domestic partnership on a federal law level is the complications of moving.  If a couple from a state that has legal domestic partnership moves to a state that does not, it can create new and complicated issues.  Some issues include: health insurance, ability to make end of life decisions, and divorce.

In conclusion, the United States has a long history of fighting for domestic partnership acceptance.  A majority of States have passed a law accepting domestic partnership; however, it will not be a true victory until a domestic partnership law is federally mandated.

Michelle Beckum
Post-Baccalaureate
Social Work Major