Comments on: Your Ohio Tax and State University Tuition Dollars are at Risk over Domestic-Partner Benefits

By: meep

meep — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 11:08:50 +0000

I think the argument generally is that opposite-sex lovers can get married if they want to nowadays (with some restrictions against bigamy and incest…), just as Michele notes. If same-sex marriage were legal, then I bet all “domestic partner” benefits would disappear.

By: TBlumer

TBlumer — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 02:36:19 +0000

#1, Michele, I suppose that might be the University’s line of reasoning. I just don’t know how defensible that line of reasoning will be, and I think the betting would be on opening the floodgates to opposite-sex domestic partnerships.

“Legally entitled” to marry and “required to be married to be benefit-eligible appear” to be two different things, and I think the discrimination against opposite sex domestic partnerships will be the focus.

But we’ll just have to see.

By: Michele

Michele — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 02:27:20 +0000

Q: Will these benefits also be available to those with opposite-sex domestic partners?

A: No

Maybe we should look at the issue in another way:

Q: Will spousal benefits be available to same-sex partners?

A: No, same-sex partners can not legally be married and are therefore not classified as a spouse.

Q: Are spousal benefits available to opposite-sex partners?

A: Yes, if they are married, which they are legally entitled to do.