Over the weekend the Governor of Washington State, Chris Gregoire, signed into law a domestic-partners bill that gives gay couples some similar rights to married couples in the state of Washington.  While it doesn't address all the issues it does address a few of the most important ones, such as the right to visit a dying partner in the hospital, or to take part in a partner's funeral arrangements.  It also creates a domestic partnership registry.  Gregoire herself seems to be strongly on board with this bill, as quoted in the Guardian UK Unlimited article:

..."This is a very proud moment for me as governor, to make sure the rights of all of our citizens are equal," Gregoire said.

People in the crowd cried as Gregoire relayed stories of couples who testified before lawmakers this year about how they have been denied hospital access to dying partners, or were not allowed to plan their funerals.

"It is time we put an end to these stories," she said. "This simply allows our seniors and our same sex partners to rely on each other and to care for each other when they are faced with life and death situations. These are the rights of all Washingtonians."...

Needless to say, the knuckledraggers aren't very happy with this turn of events.  Imagine!  Letting someone who has had a loving relationship with their partner for years visit their dying partner in a hospital!  The horror!

..."I think it's an unfortunate step backward, not knowing where it will lead us culturally," said Joseph Fuiten, a Bothell pastor who is the leader of Positive Christian Agenda, a state group of Christian organizations opposed to gay marriage. "Giving marriage-lite benefits without the benefit of marriage strikes me as not a good idea."

Well jeeze, chucklehead, maybe if you would freaking let them get married in the first place, we wouldn't be having to address their rights in this way would we?  Damn that burns me... working to make sure these folks can't get married and then saying that giving someone the benefits of marriage without marriage itself isn't right.  What a jerk.  The "step backward" remark recognizes the knuckledragger sponsored ban on same-sex marriages that was passed in Washington in 1998 (the inappropriately named "Defense of Marriage Act"), and was upheld in the state supreme court last year.