Delaware Adopts Same Sex Civil Unions Law

The options of more gay friendly states for LGBT Virginians to move to has increased as the Delaware Legislature passed a civil unions law yesterday. All indications are that Governor Jack Markell will sign the bill and he said that the bill addresses the needs of children and families throughout Delaware, ensuring their protection under the law. Meanwhile, in Virginia, pet ownership is afforded more legal recognition than the committed life partnerships/relationships of same sex couples. No one benefits other than gay hating Christofascists like Victoria Cobb and the other extremists at The Family Foundation who can pat themselves on the back and feel morally superior. It's sick, but welcome to Virginia. Not surprisingly, the gay haters in Delaware want to get to vote on whether or not LGBT citizens are afforded legal rights. Can we put the rights of far right Christians up to a vote? Here are highlights from The News Journal on yesterday's events:
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DOVER – Delaware’s House of Representatives voted 26-15 this evening to grant legal status to same-sex civil unions, giving those couples the same rights, protections and obligations now granted to married couples.
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The vote followed three hours of debate. When the vote was announced, the balcony erupted into cheers, applause and cries of “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” With passage of the bill – S.B. 30 – Delaware becomes the eighth state to grant such legal status to same-sex couples.
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The bill, which passed the Senate 13-6 last week, survived nine amendment attempts, all of which George saw as unfriendly. They would have made opposite-sex couples eligible for civil unions, replaced the bill with a Designated Beneficiary Agreement – purely contractual – added language that underlined the bill was not intended to revise Delaware’s marriage laws, added a fee, outlined specific benefits included, and made other technical changes.
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Gov. Jack Markell, who has championed gay rights throughout his public service career, celebrated passage and said he will sign the bill as soon as a suitable time and place is arranged. The bill addresses the needs of children and families throughout Delaware, ensuring their protection under the law, he said.
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Hours before the vote, John Marble of Dover was walking outside Legislative Hall with a sign calling for a referendum on civil unions. Marble, a self-employed contractor who is a member of two Delaware tea party groups, said the bill carried a “political agenda” but didn’t address all the problems of assorted relationships, including many heterosexual problems and the “bastard” laws.