California Gov. Gray Davis signed a historic law in 2003 that gives same-sex domestic partners nearly all of the rights granted to married couples in the state.The new law made California the second state in the United States, behind Vermont, to grant such legal recognition to same-sex couples. Since then, New Jersey and Maine have enacted similar laws, and Massachusetts' high court ordered same-sex marriages to begin May 17.
Advocates for same-sex partner rights also cheered the decision by Kenneth Feinberg, the special master of the Sept. 11th Victim Compensation Fund, to compensate a lesbian whose partner died in the terrorist attacks. It was unclear whether the move set a precedent.
A poll released in July 2002 shows that a majority of people in the United States favor granting some forms of legal protection for same-sex couples.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., introduced a bill in 2000 that would grant immigration rights to same-sex partners of U.S. citizens and residents. (Currently, an American citizen who has a same-sex relationship with a foreigner has no way to secure his or her partner's legal immigration.) However, the measure has not seen much action since.
As for employer-granted domestic partnership benefits, the Human
Rights Campaign's annual report on the state if the workplace for
GLBT people, the bottom line is that "life is getting better all the
time." Recent large companies that have announced adding the benefits for their employees include Gannett and General Electric.
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