HETEROSEXUAL PARTNER RIGHTS RAISE QUESTIONS: From the Yale Daily News

[Eve: Yeah, I'm still obsessed with alma mater. Humor me.]

...Practical effects aside, however, the bigger issue is that of civil rights. By extending homosexual domestic partners the same rights as married couples, the University is levelling an unequal playing field. It attempts to equalize opportunity in an unequal society. And yet, the University, by its highly laudable decision to offer privileges to homosexual domestic partners, makes itself vulnerable to attacks of civil rights violations from the other side, from students who argue that failing to recognize their long-term heterosexual relationships devalues them -- the same way not allowing homosexual couples to marry can devalue those relationships.

Indeed, the reality in today's society is that many couples are choosing to forgo the traditional ceremonies and rites of marriage. There are long-term relationships that may mean more than a marriage certificate. And yet, there needs to be some criteria for defining relationships. Perhaps there is a common ground amid all these contradictions. The University could, for example, offer reduced-rate gym memberships to significant others of graduate and professional students. Whatever the decision, the University must be aware of the fine line that it walks when trying to be fair to all its students.

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posted by Eve at 3:35 AM VOTE

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