ON WISCONSIN!!

In an e-mail from Fair Wisconsin today, we were told that Governor Doyle not only got our State budget approved today (which seems to be a hard thing to get done these days...as many states know) but he signed domestic partnerships into law. Wisconsin is the first state in the Midwest to legislatively enact protections for same-sex couples. It is also the first state in the U.S. with an existing ban on marriage equality and civil unions to enact domestic partnerships. We will be able to start signing up at the city clerks office on August 3. The new law provides over 40 benefits we were denied in the past which is great, but a far cry from the 1000+ benefits couples receive in a traditional marriage.

But, even as we celebrate, Julaine Appling of the Wisconsin Family Council said that her organization intends to challenge the constitutionality of domestic partnerships under our amendment banning same-sex marriage and civil unions.