Oregon's gay couples win marriage-style benefits
Domestic-partners bill clears Senate, goes to governor
STEVE LAW Statesman Journal
May 3, 2007

Oregon will become the seventh state to grant same-sex couples full marriage-style benefits allowed by state law, after the Oregon Senate approved a landmark "domestic partnerships" bill Wednesday.

Senators voted 21-9 to approve House Bill 2007-A, with two Republicans joining all of the chamber's Democrats and one independent in support. Gov. Ted Kulongoski vows to sign the bill into law.

Passage of HB 2007-A, coupled with earlier approval of a bill banning discrimination based on sexual orientation, marks a dramatic turnaround for gay rights in Oregon. It comes 2 1/2 years after Oregonians banned gay marriage at the ballot box when they passed Measure 36. the rest