Male/female couples are not allowed to become domestic partners under California law unless one of them is over 62 years old. There are some small exceptions to that rule, but in general DP is not available to mixed sex couples for the very reasons you mention.
It is a purely emotional issue. Being married by the government gives warm fuzzies to people who have been denied that opportunity. I understand that feeling of being granted a long-denied opportunity and then having it snatched away on a whim.
Let me tell you an ironic story. My cousin Shana and her guy Spike were married in city hall in Brighton, just as the 2006 Pride Parade was passing by. I took this picture:
no subject
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=fam&group=00001-01000&file=297-297.5
See the second paragraph.
Male/female couples are not allowed to become domestic partners under California law unless one of them is over 62 years old. There are some small exceptions to that rule, but in general DP is not available to mixed sex couples for the very reasons you mention.
It is a purely emotional issue. Being married by the government gives warm fuzzies to people who have been denied that opportunity. I understand that feeling of being granted a long-denied opportunity and then having it snatched away on a whim.
Let me tell you an ironic story. My cousin Shana and her guy Spike were married in city hall in Brighton, just as the 2006 Pride Parade was passing by. I took this picture: