STATE ATTORNEY EXTENDS FMLA BENEFITS TO DOMESTIC PARTNERS

[Natasha]

STATE ATTORNEY EXTENDS FMLA BENEFITS TO DOMESTIC PARTNERS

http://www.outinorlando.com/home/news.asp?articleid=34842
1/22/11

(West Palm Beach, Florida) At the request of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, Michael McAuliffe, State Attorney for the Fifteen Judicial Circuit of Florida, has revised his policies to allow employees to use family medical leave to care for domestic partners with serious health conditions. Previously, the policy was limited to employees' spouses, parents and children.

The Council, a local nonprofit organization founded in 1988, is dedicated to dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

McAuliffe also updated his policies to prohibit harassment based on gender identity and expression. The prior policy included race, religious creed, color, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, age, sexual orientation and genetic information.

[LordKAT]

My state has only one city covered, how sad.

I don't know as marriage has to be redefined so much as making marriage a religious thing and leaving it there and domestic partnership the legal part meaning even man-women marriage would be a domestic partnership. That would solve most things easily enough.

[Arch]

I actually wanted to be a domestic partner back when I was with my ex. Not that his federal employer would have recognized it--that's why we got legally married. But over and over, I found that domestic partnerships were defined as being for same-sex couples only; opposite-sex couples were specifically barred. And people say that DP is just as good as "real" marriage.

Yeah, right. If it were, straight people would have it, no questions asked.

[LordKAT]

My point is to leave marriage as it is to keep the peoples happy that have it but redefine domestic partnership. No harder than redefining marriage.

[Arch]

I support civil unions for all, and extracivil marriage ceremonies for anyone who wants icing on the cake. But I guess this Florida move is a step in the right direction--toward eventual equality, that is.

[LordKAT]

Arch,

I think you put it more precise than I, but that is what I meant.