I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

[KanadaHye]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

I hope you mean that's the legal impact at least. Even that is an understatement, but less so...

What other impact is there to "legal marriage" than the legal impact

It's not like anyone is stopping people from throwing parties with their friends/family and celebrating.

[Siggie]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

What other impact is there to "legal marriage" than the legal impact

It's not like anyone is stopping people from throwing parties with their friends/family and celebrating.

That's not the only legal impact. For example, you also get legal standing to make decisions on behalf of your partner as well in the event of their incapacity to do so or their death.

[KanadaHye]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

That's not the only legal impact. For example, you also get legal standing to make decisions on behalf of your partner as well in the event of their incapacity to do so or their death.

Yes, decisions on their property and belongings. You have the right to inherit what they leave behind. I suppose that could be done with a good estate lawyer regardless.

[Siggie]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

Yes, decisions on their property and belongings. You have the right to inherit what they leave behind. I suppose that could be done with a good estate lawyer regardless.

It's not all about their freakin' property. I just said you can make decisions for them if they are incapable (e.g. regarding their finances/assets (yeah property), medical decisions, arrangements for the disposal of their body, etc.).

[KanadaHye]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

It's not all about their freakin' property. I just said you can make decisions for them if they are incapable (e.g. regarding their finances/assets (yeah property), medical decisions, arrangements for the disposal of their body, etc.).

Yes, that's the political reason behind gay marriage.... everyone should have the right to pull the plug and dispose of their partners body

[Siggie]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

Yes, that's the political reason behind gay marriage.... everyone should have the right to pull the plug and dispose of their partners body

Yes, because that's the only conceivable medical decision one might have to make.

[Sip]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

? Marriage is about the merger of property and belongings. Poor people have nothing! Why would they need to "get married"?

Here is a list of why poor people might want to get married from http://www.religioustolerance.org/mar_bene.htm

• joint parenting
• joint adoption
• joint foster care, custody, and visitation (including non-biological parents)
• status as next-of-kin for hospital visits and medical decisions where one partner is too ill to be competent
• joint insurance policies for home, auto and health
• dissolution and divorce protections such as community property and child support
• immigration and residency for partners from other countries
• inheritance automatically in the absence of a will
• joint leases with automatic renewal rights in the event one partner dies or leaves the house or apartment
• inheritance of jointly-owned real and personal property through the right of survivorship (which avoids the time and expense and taxes in probate)
• benefits such as annuities, pension plans, Social Security, and Medicare
• spousal exemptions to property tax increases upon the death of one partner who is a co-owner of the home
• veterans' discounts on medical care, education, and home loans joint filing of tax returns
• joint filing of customs claims when traveling
• wrongful death benefits for a surviving partner and children
• bereavement or sick leave to care for a partner or child
• decision-making power with respect to whether a deceased partner will be cremated or not and where to bury him or her
• crime victims' recovery benefits
• loss of consortium tort benefits
• domestic violence protection orders
• judicial protections and evidentiary immunity
• and more....

[KanadaHye]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

Yes, because that's the only conceivable medical decision one might have to make.

I'll tell you what's going to happen after the gay marriage thing. Everyone will have to be responsible for their own health care and spouses will no longer be able to use their spouses health insurance. That will be fair for everyone.

[KanadaHye]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

Here is a list of why poor people might want to get married from http://www.religioustolerance.org/mar_bene.htm

• joint parenting
• joint adoption
• joint foster care, custody, and visitation (including non-biological parents)
• status as next-of-kin for hospital visits and medical decisions where one partner is too ill to be competent
• joint insurance policies for home, auto and health
• dissolution and divorce protections such as community property and child support
• immigration and residency for partners from other countries
• inheritance automatically in the absence of a will
• joint leases with automatic renewal rights in the event one partner dies or leaves the house or apartment
• inheritance of jointly-owned real and personal property through the right of survivorship (which avoids the time and expense and taxes in probate)
• benefits such as annuities, pension plans, Social Security, and Medicare
• spousal exemptions to property tax increases upon the death of one partner who is a co-owner of the home
• veterans' discounts on medical care, education, and home loans joint filing of tax returns
• joint filing of customs claims when traveling
• wrongful death benefits for a surviving partner and children
• bereavement or sick leave to care for a partner or child
• decision-making power with respect to whether a deceased partner will be cremated or not and where to bury him or her
• crime victims' recovery benefits
• loss of consortium tort benefits
• domestic violence protection orders
• judicial protections and evidentiary immunity
• and more....

Poor people live off welfare. Most of those things listed don't apply to them. They have no legal benefits to marriage unless they marry someone outside of their welfare class in which case they no longer receive welfare cheques.

[Siggie]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

Poor people live off welfare. Most of those things listed don't apply to them. They have no legal benefits to marriage unless they marry someone outside of their welfare class in which case they no longer receive welfare cheques.

Go around and ask a few non-wealthy people whether these things are important to them. It's rather arrogant of you to decide for others what rights are valuable to them (e.g. being able to adopt, not losing their housing if their partner dies, being able to see them in the hospital, being able to recover in tort actions, etc).