Comments on: We’re back! http://www.gaysdefendmarriage.com/2008/12/24/were-back/ A website for LGBT folks who support marriage as the union of husband and wife—and getting the gay leadership to return to more pressing LGBT issues for our community. Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:49:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: David Benkof http://www.gaysdefendmarriage.com/2008/12/24/were-back/#comment-1798 David Benkof Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:14:40 +0000 http://www.gaysdefendmarriage.com/?p=103#comment-1798 Ron- Welcome. My understanding is the Reciprocal Beneficiary proposal is similar to the Salt Lake City Plan, with two exceptions: 1) The Salt Lake City Plan has been implemented, and is working; and 2) Utah is one of the 18 states where any kind of partnership, including civil unions, for same-sex couples is banned. The Salt Lake City Plan is perhaps the only constitutional way to make sure same-sex and other couples have hospital visitation and other rights. I don't know what an RSS feed is, unfortunately. What does that mean? Ron-

Welcome. My understanding is the Reciprocal Beneficiary proposal is similar to the Salt Lake City Plan, with two exceptions:

1) The Salt Lake City Plan has been implemented, and is working; and

2) Utah is one of the 18 states where any kind of partnership, including civil unions, for same-sex couples is banned. The Salt Lake City Plan is perhaps the only constitutional way to make sure same-sex and other couples have hospital visitation and other rights.

I don’t know what an RSS feed is, unfortunately. What does that mean?

]]> By: Ron Miller http://www.gaysdefendmarriage.com/2008/12/24/were-back/#comment-1797 Ron Miller Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:19:42 +0000 http://www.gaysdefendmarriage.com/?p=103#comment-1797 Oh, and one more question: what is your RSS feed? I'd like to keep track of your posts. I'm glad I discovered this site! Oh, and one more question: what is your RSS feed? I’d like to keep track of your posts. I’m glad I discovered this site!

]]> By: Ron Miller http://www.gaysdefendmarriage.com/2008/12/24/were-back/#comment-1796 Ron Miller Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:19:02 +0000 http://www.gaysdefendmarriage.com/?p=103#comment-1796 Does the Salt Lake City plan resemble the Reciprocal Beneficiary Agreement proposed in Colorado and Oregon and endorsed by Focus on the Family? Does the Salt Lake City plan resemble the Reciprocal Beneficiary Agreement proposed in Colorado and Oregon and endorsed by Focus on the Family?

]]> By: Andrea Essecks http://www.gaysdefendmarriage.com/2008/12/24/were-back/#comment-1790 Andrea Essecks Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:26:48 +0000 http://www.gaysdefendmarriage.com/?p=103#comment-1790 I see you're back in action: well, I hope your holidays were just as pleasant as mine! Be seeing you around, I guess. - Andrea Essecks I see you’re back in action: well, I hope your holidays were just as pleasant as mine!

Be seeing you around, I guess.

– Andrea Essecks

]]> By: David Benkof http://www.gaysdefendmarriage.com/2008/12/24/were-back/#comment-1786 David Benkof Thu, 25 Dec 2008 19:44:07 +0000 http://www.gaysdefendmarriage.com/?p=103#comment-1786 Welcome Chino, thanks for asking. I'm talking about the "mutual commitments" plan already passed by the Salt Lake City city council, with the permission of the State Legislature. You can read about it here: http://webserver.desnews.com/article/1,5143,695264778,00.html The Common Ground Initiative is limited to same-sex couples, and as such it has virtually no chance of passing. It's a shame that Utah activists haven't learned from the Salt Lake City mutual commitments experience that it is much easier to convince a conservative legislator to protect all kinds of non-spouse pairs than to create (not my term) "special rights" for same-sex couples. Do gay and lesbian activists think that non-conjugal couples aren't worthy of protections, including hospital visitation? Or are they just focused on having the government tell them that their relationships are exactly the same as marriages that they're willing to sacrifice protections for the very people they're supposed to be looking out for? As for NOM I know virtually nothing, sorry. Welcome Chino, thanks for asking.

I’m talking about the “mutual commitments” plan already passed by the Salt Lake City city council, with the permission of the State Legislature. You can read about it here:

http://webserver.desnews.com/article/1,5143,695264778,00.html

The Common Ground Initiative is limited to same-sex couples, and as such it has virtually no chance of passing. It’s a shame that Utah activists haven’t learned from the Salt Lake City mutual commitments experience that it is much easier to convince a conservative legislator to protect all kinds of non-spouse pairs than to create (not my term) “special rights” for same-sex couples.

Do gay and lesbian activists think that non-conjugal couples aren’t worthy of protections, including hospital visitation? Or are they just focused on having the government tell them that their relationships are exactly the same as marriages that they’re willing to sacrifice protections for the very people they’re supposed to be looking out for?

As for NOM I know virtually nothing, sorry.

]]> By: Chin Blanco http://www.gaysdefendmarriage.com/2008/12/24/were-back/#comment-1783 Chin Blanco Thu, 25 Dec 2008 02:45:55 +0000 http://www.gaysdefendmarriage.com/?p=103#comment-1783 David, I read your piece over at NorthJersey.com, and I'm wondering if what you call 'the Salt Lake City plan' refers to the same package that Equality Utah is calling 'the Common Ground Initiative' ? http://www.equalityutah.org/CommonGroundInitiative.html And I'm wondering if you could shed any light on the extent of Mormon support for NOM? I know Matthew Holland, son of LDS Apostle and former BYU president Jeffrey R. Holland, is on the board of directors, but I don't know enough about NOM otherwise to understand the extent of its ties to the Mormon leadership. David,

I read your piece over at NorthJersey.com, and I’m wondering if what you call ‘the Salt Lake City plan’ refers to the same package that Equality Utah is calling ‘the Common Ground Initiative’ ? http://www.equalityutah.org/CommonGroundInitiative.html

And I’m wondering if you could shed any light on the extent of Mormon support for NOM? I know Matthew Holland, son of LDS Apostle and former BYU president Jeffrey R. Holland, is on the board of directors, but I don’t know enough about NOM otherwise to understand the extent of its ties to the Mormon leadership.

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