New Jersey Homosexual Partnerships

[Green Gaia]

I know what some of the benefits are, but what does marriage protect you from? If you know please post

Currently in the United States, same-sex couples in long-term, committed relationships pay higher taxes and are denied basic protections and rights granted to married couples. Among them:

Hospital visitation. Married couples have the automatic right to visit each other in the hospital and make medical decisions. Same-sex couples can be denied the right to visit a sick or injured loved one in the hospital.

Social Security benefits. Married people receive Social Security payments upon the death of a spouse. Despite paying payroll taxes, gay and lesbian workers receive no Social Security survivor benefits – resulting in an average annual income loss of $5,528 upon the death of a partner.

Health insurance. Many public and private employers provide medical coverage to the spouses of their employees, but most employers do not provide coverage to the life partners of gay and lesbian employees. Gay employees who do receive health coverage for their partners must pay federal income taxes on the value of the insurance.

Estate taxes. A married person automatically inherits all the property of his or her deceased spouse without paying estate taxes. A gay or lesbian taxpayer is forced to pay estate taxes on property inherited from a deceased partner.

Retirement savings. While a married person can roll a deceased spouse’s 401(k) funds into an IRA without paying taxes, a gay or lesbian American who inherits a 401(k) can end up paying up to 70 percent of it in taxes and penalties.

Family leave. Married workers are legally entitled to unpaid leave from their jobs to care for an ill spouse. Gay and lesbian workers are not entitled to family leave to care for their partners.

Immigration rights. Bi-national families are commonly broken up or forced to leave the country to stay together. The reason: U.S. immigration law does not permit American citizens to petition for their same-sex partners to immigrate.

Nursing homes. Married couples have a legal right to live together in nursing homes. Because they are not legal spouses, elderly gay or lesbian couples do not have the right to spend their last days living together in nursing homes.

Home protection. Laws protect married seniors from being forced to sell their homes to pay high nursing home bills; gay and lesbian seniors have no such protection.

Pensions. After the death of a worker, most pension plans pay survivor benefits only to a legal spouse of the participant. Gay and lesbian partners are excluded from such pension benefits.

 

[Green Gaia]

Come on there you go speaking in absolutes - all major health care organizations....please post your proof of this

Be glad to.

The American Psychological Association

The research on homosexuality is very clear. Homosexuality is neither mental illness nor moral depravity. It is simply the way a minority of our population expresses human love and sexuality. Study after study documents the mental health of gay men and lesbians. Studies of judgment, stability, reliability, and social and vocational adaptiveness all show that gay men and lesbians function every bit as well as heterosexuals, nor is homosexuality a matter of individual choice. Research suggests that the homosexual orientation is in place very early in the life cycle, possibly even before birth. It is found in about ten percent of the population, a figure which is surprisingly constant across cultures, irrespective of the different moral values and standards of a particular culture. Contrary to what some imply, the incidence of homosexuality in a population does not appear to change with new moral codes or social mores. Research findings suggest that efforts to repair homosexuals are nothing more than social prejudice garbed in psychological accouterments. (American Psychological Association statement on homosexuality July, 1994).

"Scientific evidence does not show that conversion therapy works and that it can do more harm than good. Changing one's sexual orientation is not simply a matter of changing one's sexual behavior. It would require altering one's emotional, romantic and sexual feelings and restructuring one's self-concept and social identity." (1990)

"For nearly three decades, it has been known that homosexuality is not a mental illness. Medical and mental health professionals also now know that sexual orientation is not a choice and cannot be altered. Groups who try to change the sexual orientation of people through so-called conversion therapy are misguided and run the risk of causing a great deal of psychological harm to those they say they are trying to help." (Dr. Raymond Fowler, American Psychological Association Executive Director)

On August 14, 1997 the American Psychological Association passed a resolution to restrict psychologists and therapists from engaging in the controversial practice of conversion or reparative therapy, which attempts to convert homosexuals into heterosexuals. The resolution was passed out of concern that some clients are being coerced by family members, employers or church officials to take part in therapies that have not proven to be effective.

The APA resolution affirms that therapists obtain informed consent from the client, which includes:

A full discussion of the client's potential for happiness as a homosexual.
Communication to the client that there is no sound scientific evidence that the therapy works.
Raising the possibility that therapy may exacerbate the client's problems.
An analysis of the client's true motivation for wanting to change.

The American Medical Association

The American Medical Association released a report in December, 1994 which calls for "a non-judgmental recognition of sexual orientation by physicians".

"Most of the emotional disturbance experienced by gay men and lesbians around their sexual identity is not based on physiological causes but rather is due more to a sense of alienation in an unaccepting environment. For this reason, aversion therapy (a behavioral or medical intervention which pairs unwanted behavior, in this case, homosexual behavior, with unpleasant sensations or aversive consequences) is no longer recommended for gay men and lesbians. Through psychotherapy, gay men and lesbians can become comfortable with their sexual orientation and understand the societal response to it."

American Academy of Pediatrics

"Confusion about sexual orientation is not unusual during adolescence. Counseling may be helpful for young people who are uncertain about their sexual orientation or for those who are uncertain about how to express their sexuality and might profit from an attempt at clarification through a counseling or psychotherapeutic initiative. Therapy directed at specifically changing sexual orientation is contraindicated, since it can provoke guilt and anxiety while having little or no potential for achieving changes in orientation."

"Pediatricians should be aware that some of the youths in their care may be homosexual or have concerns about sexual orientation. Caregivers should provide factual, current, nonjudgmental information in a confidential manner."

"The psychosocial problems of gay and lesbian adolescents are primarily the result of societal stigma, hostility, hatred and isolation. The gravity of these stresses is underscored by current data that document that gay youths account for up to 30 percent of all completed adolescent suicides. Approximately 30 percent of a surveyed group of gay and bisexual males have attempted suicide at least once. Adolescents struggling with issues of sexual preference should be reassured that they will gradually form their own identity and that there is no need for premature labeling of one's sexual orientation."

The American Psychiatric Association

Homosexuality per se implies no impairment in judgement, stability, reliability, or general social or vocational capabilities. The American Psychiatric Association calls on all international health orgranizations, and individual psychiatrists in other countries, to urge the repeal in their own country of legislation that penalizes homosexual acts by consenting adults in private. And further, the APA calls on these organizations and individuals to do all that is possible to decrease the stigma related to homosexuality wherever and whenever it may occur. (December 1992)

There is no published scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of reparative therapy as a treatment to change ones sexual orientation. It is not described in the scientific literature, nor is it mentioned in the APA's latest comprehensive Task Force Report, Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders (1989).

Clinical experience suggests that any person who seeks conversion therapy may be doing so because of social bias that has resulted in internalized homophobia, and that gay men and lesbians who have accepted their sexual orientation positively are better adjusted than those who have not done so.

The board of trustees of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) passed a resolution in December of 1998 that condemns the practice of "reparative therapy". The APA's statement stressed that "reparative therapy", also known as "conversion therapy", is not harmless and often has deleterious effects. The statement said practitioners of "reparative therapy" often mislead patients and are motivated by personal prejudices.

"The potential risks of `reparative therapy' are great, including depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior, since therapist alignment with societal prejudices against homosexuality may reinforce self-hatred already experienced by the patient. Many patients who have undergone `reparative therapy' relate that they were inaccurately told that homosexuals are lonely, unhappy individuals who never achieve acceptance or satisfaction. The possibility that the person might achieve happiness and satisfying interpersonal relationships as a gay man or lesbian is not presented, nor are alternative approaches to dealing the effects of societal stigmatization discussed ... the APA opposes any psychiatric treatment, such as `reparative' or `conversion' therapy which is based on the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based on a prior assumption that the patient should change his/her sexual orientation."

Is there another professional health care organization you'd like me to post their position on? I can look that up too.

 

[Green Gaia]

I am not discriminating against GLBT.

You are if you advocate denying a group of people basic human rights based on something you don't like about them.

I also am not justifying their sexual perversion by allowing them to pervert the sanctity of marriage and tear down the foundation of the family.

And how would that work exactly? It seems to me heterosexuals are doing that all on their own.

If you are getting the sodomy laws overturned in your favor because of it being in the privacy of your own home, then keep it there. I dont want to know about it.

What does sodomy laws have to do with same sex marriage

 

[Sir Monks]

Gee, a July 15th poll showed only 38% favored no legal recognition (down 2 percent from March 2004) while 59% favored a union or marriage (up 4 percentfrom March 2004)

http://www.cpod.ubc.ca/polls/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewItem&itemID=3469

Of course, your poll was about 6 months earlier

According to Runt we cant use polls anymore

 

[Sir Monks]

Be glad to.

The American Psychological Association

The research on homosexuality is very clear. Homosexuality is neither mental illness nor moral depravity. It is simply the way a minority of our population expresses human love and sexuality. Study after study documents the mental health of gay men and lesbians. Studies of judgment, stability, reliability, and social and vocational adaptiveness all show that gay men and lesbians function every bit as well as heterosexuals, nor is homosexuality a matter of individual choice. Research suggests that the homosexual orientation is in place very early in the life cycle, possibly even before birth. It is found in about ten percent of the population, a figure which is surprisingly constant across cultures, irrespective of the different moral values and standards of a particular culture. Contrary to what some imply, the incidence of homosexuality in a population does not appear to change with new moral codes or social mores. Research findings suggest that efforts to repair homosexuals are nothing more than social prejudice garbed in psychological accouterments. (American Psychological Association statement on homosexuality July, 1994).

"Scientific evidence does not show that conversion therapy works and that it can do more harm than good. Changing one's sexual orientation is not simply a matter of changing one's sexual behavior. It would require altering one's emotional, romantic and sexual feelings and restructuring one's self-concept and social identity." (1990)

"For nearly three decades, it has been known that homosexuality is not a mental illness. Medical and mental health professionals also now know that sexual orientation is not a choice and cannot be altered. Groups who try to change the sexual orientation of people through so-called conversion therapy are misguided and run the risk of causing a great deal of psychological harm to those they say they are trying to help." (Dr. Raymond Fowler, American Psychological Association Executive Director)

On August 14, 1997 the American Psychological Association passed a resolution to restrict psychologists and therapists from engaging in the controversial practice of conversion or reparative therapy, which attempts to convert homosexuals into heterosexuals. The resolution was passed out of concern that some clients are being coerced by family members, employers or church officials to take part in therapies that have not proven to be effective.

The APA resolution affirms that therapists obtain informed consent from the client, which includes:

A full discussion of the client's potential for happiness as a homosexual.
Communication to the client that there is no sound scientific evidence that the therapy works.
Raising the possibility that therapy may exacerbate the client's problems.
An analysis of the client's true motivation for wanting to change.

The American Medical Association

The American Medical Association released a report in December, 1994 which calls for "a non-judgmental recognition of sexual orientation by physicians".

"Most of the emotional disturbance experienced by gay men and lesbians around their sexual identity is not based on physiological causes but rather is due more to a sense of alienation in an unaccepting environment. For this reason, aversion therapy (a behavioral or medical intervention which pairs unwanted behavior, in this case, homosexual behavior, with unpleasant sensations or aversive consequences) is no longer recommended for gay men and lesbians. Through psychotherapy, gay men and lesbians can become comfortable with their sexual orientation and understand the societal response to it."

American Academy of Pediatrics

"Confusion about sexual orientation is not unusual during adolescence. Counseling may be helpful for young people who are uncertain about their sexual orientation or for those who are uncertain about how to express their sexuality and might profit from an attempt at clarification through a counseling or psychotherapeutic initiative. Therapy directed at specifically changing sexual orientation is contraindicated, since it can provoke guilt and anxiety while having little or no potential for achieving changes in orientation."

"Pediatricians should be aware that some of the youths in their care may be homosexual or have concerns about sexual orientation. Caregivers should provide factual, current, nonjudgmental information in a confidential manner."

"The psychosocial problems of gay and lesbian adolescents are primarily the result of societal stigma, hostility, hatred and isolation. The gravity of these stresses is underscored by current data that document that gay youths account for up to 30 percent of all completed adolescent suicides. Approximately 30 percent of a surveyed group of gay and bisexual males have attempted suicide at least once. Adolescents struggling with issues of sexual preference should be reassured that they will gradually form their own identity and that there is no need for premature labeling of one's sexual orientation."

The American Psychiatric Association

Homosexuality per se implies no impairment in judgement, stability, reliability, or general social or vocational capabilities. The American Psychiatric Association calls on all international health orgranizations, and individual psychiatrists in other countries, to urge the repeal in their own country of legislation that penalizes homosexual acts by consenting adults in private. And further, the APA calls on these organizations and individuals to do all that is possible to decrease the stigma related to homosexuality wherever and whenever it may occur. (December 1992)

There is no published scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of reparative therapy as a treatment to change ones sexual orientation. It is not described in the scientific literature, nor is it mentioned in the APA's latest comprehensive Task Force Report, Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders (1989).

Clinical experience suggests that any person who seeks conversion therapy may be doing so because of social bias that has resulted in internalized homophobia, and that gay men and lesbians who have accepted their sexual orientation positively are better adjusted than those who have not done so.

The board of trustees of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) passed a resolution in December of 1998 that condemns the practice of "reparative therapy". The APA's statement stressed that "reparative therapy", also known as "conversion therapy", is not harmless and often has deleterious effects. The statement said practitioners of "reparative therapy" often mislead patients and are motivated by personal prejudices.

"The potential risks of `reparative therapy' are great, including depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior, since therapist alignment with societal prejudices against homosexuality may reinforce self-hatred already experienced by the patient. Many patients who have undergone `reparative therapy' relate that they were inaccurately told that homosexuals are lonely, unhappy individuals who never achieve acceptance or satisfaction. The possibility that the person might achieve happiness and satisfying interpersonal relationships as a gay man or lesbian is not presented, nor are alternative approaches to dealing the effects of societal stigmatization discussed ... the APA opposes any psychiatric treatment, such as `reparative' or `conversion' therapy which is based on the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based on a prior assumption that the patient should change his/her sexual orientation."

Is there another professional health care organization you'd like me to post their position on? I can look that up too.

Then how are these people leaving the gay lifestyle and marrying and living a hetero life?

 

[Green Gaia]

Then how are these people leaving the gay lifestyle and marrying and living a hetero life?

These people?

 

[Pah]

Wow so thus sayeth these 2 books that now makes homosexuality among animals normal...LOL

Aw, Mr Monk, my post indicated the hundreds of other books and/or writings that formed the basis of the two I cited. And yes, it appears that homosexuality in varying percentages of expression is a very common (almost unanimous) trait amongst primates.

http://www.aclu.org/ReligiousLiberty/ReligiousLiberty.cfm?ID=9675&c=38
Just 1 of many....you cant be for real if you didnt know that the ACLU is trying to get Christian "adornment" off gov't buildings all over America

You dissapoint me, Mr Monk, this cited case is one of a new addtion and not an existing expression or allusion of religious intent. You would have done better, but still open to debate, with the "traditional", "historical" displays.

Cool I consider it to be truth and in who this country trust in

We should trust in a tribal sky-god who was prones to annihilation of humankind and the genocide ond infanticide of neighbors?

This explains alot about your moral standing and character

Thank you.

 

[Sir Monks]

Currently in the United States, same-sex couples in long-term, committed relationships pay higher taxes and are denied basic protections and rights granted to married couples. Among them:

Hospital visitation. Married couples have the automatic right to visit each other in the hospital and make medical decisions. Same-sex couples can be denied the right to visit a sick or injured loved one in the hospital.

Social Security benefits. Married people receive Social Security payments upon the death of a spouse. Despite paying payroll taxes, gay and lesbian workers receive no Social Security survivor benefits – resulting in an average annual income loss of $5,528 upon the death of a partner.

Health insurance. Many public and private employers provide medical coverage to the spouses of their employees, but most employers do not provide coverage to the life partners of gay and lesbian employees. Gay employees who do receive health coverage for their partners must pay federal income taxes on the value of the insurance.

Estate taxes. A married person automatically inherits all the property of his or her deceased spouse without paying estate taxes. A gay or lesbian taxpayer is forced to pay estate taxes on property inherited from a deceased partner.

Retirement savings. While a married person can roll a deceased spouse’s 401(k) funds into an IRA without paying taxes, a gay or lesbian American who inherits a 401(k) can end up paying up to 70 percent of it in taxes and penalties.

Family leave. Married workers are legally entitled to unpaid leave from their jobs to care for an ill spouse. Gay and lesbian workers are not entitled to family leave to care for their partners.

Immigration rights. Bi-national families are commonly broken up or forced to leave the country to stay together. The reason: U.S. immigration law does not permit American citizens to petition for their same-sex partners to immigrate.

Nursing homes. Married couples have a legal right to live together in nursing homes. Because they are not legal spouses, elderly gay or lesbian couples do not have the right to spend their last days living together in nursing homes.

Home protection. Laws protect married seniors from being forced to sell their homes to pay high nursing home bills; gay and lesbian seniors have no such protection.

Pensions. After the death of a worker, most pension plans pay survivor benefits only to a legal spouse of the participant. Gay and lesbian partners are excluded from such pension benefits.

These are the benefits...what is it protecting you from? we might be debating semantics on this ....you might be using these terms interchangably.
The above is the real reason gays want to be "married" it has nothing to do with love

 

[Pah]

According to Runt we cant use polls anymore

I think we can use polls - as long as they are correctly used. Maybe that's what she meant.

 

[Sir Monks]

Aw, Mr Monk, my post indicated the hundreds of other books and/or writings that formed the basis of the two I cited. And yes, it appears that homosexuality in varying percentages of expression is a very common (almost unanimous) trait amongst primates..

awesome do you also read books about animals having sexual relationships to different kinds of animials?

You dissapoint me, Mr Monk, this cited case is one of a new addtion and not an existing expression or allusion of religious intent. You would have done better, but still open to debate, with the "traditional", "historical" displays..

Seriously? what about Judge Roy Bean..eerrr Moore in Alabama and his 10 commandments? man it is late and I dont want to do an extensive search on all the lawsuits the ACLU have out there on the 10 commandments, cross in city seals, etc.

We should trust in a tribal sky-god who was prones to annihilation of humankind and the genocide ond infanticide of neighbors?.

For someone that looks at God like that I would figure you would trust in Him

Thank you.

You are welcome...I like you...thanks for my 1st night induction...I got to get to other thread to read...check back later

 

[Pah]

My apology to Sir Monks for using the wrong ID.

 

[Green Gaia]

These are the benefits...what is it protecting you from? we might be debating semantics on this ....you might be using these terms interchangably.
The above is the real reason gays want to be "married" it has nothing to do with love

It has to do with both I believe. I can have a committment ceremony with my partner to celebrate our love, but that gives us none of the legal benefits of marriage. Heterosexual couples can marry for the legal benefits, but don't have to be in love to do so. Having a legal marriage is legally recognizing a loving and committed union.

And yes, I think we are debating semantics.

 

[Sir Monks]

I think we can use polls - as long as they are correctly used. Maybe that's what she meant.

AHhhhh of course when they work for me it was cause I didnt use it right....I shoulda known

 

[Sir Monks]

My apology to Sir Monks for using the wrong ID.

No biggy....I am sure that I will get many prefixes before too long

 

[Sir Monks]

These people?

How do homosexuals stop being homosexual?

 

[Green Gaia]

How do homosexuals stop being homosexual?

How do heterosexuals stop being heterosexual?

They don't.

I assume you are referring to those people who claim to be "ex-gay"? My take on them is, perhaps they were just confused, perhaps they are really bisexual, or more likely because of fear and pressure from family and religious groups they want so badly to be what society considers "normal" that they repress and hide their sexuality and pretend to be heterosexual. If these people are truly happy living this way, then that is their choice, but it in no way proves that all BGLT people should live a life of denial and fear.

 

[Lightkeeper]

Well said, Maize.

 

[Ardhanariswar]

perhaps maize, but i believe through severe mind controlling and discipline, anyone is able to change anything they want. i also believe in fork bending (www.fork-you.com).
the mind has a lot of power.

of course, i wouldnt want to know why you would change, unless if you were personally affected by being gay, and just felt uncomfortable, go ahead. whatever foats your boat. of course, i believe i can reach God, sexuality is immaterial to the path im taking.

 

[anders]

Gerani,

Seeing that you believe in fork bending, I am not surprised that you believe in mind control. I don't believe in the possibility of mind bending forks or changing the minds of gay people (or, for that matter, of heterosexuals, should somebody want to).

Sir Monks,

From the gay marriages I have seen among my friends or read of in the papers, I am convinced that the reason for marrying is love.

 

[Pah]

awesome do you also read books about animals having sexual relationships to different kinds of animials?

I hope there is no "implication" there.

I have known about horses and donkeys for a long time. I was surprised to read in the two books I've mentioned of the many bird species that participate in inter-species sex. But the biggest surprise was "Flipper" - it seems that dolphins do it also, as well as homosexual activity amongst their own. Next you'll be saying - what about Bambi and Thumper. Well, sorry to burst your Walt Disney bubble, but yes those two are homosexual but I'm not aware of any inter-species sex..

Seriously? what about Judge Roy Bean..eerrr Moore in Alabama and his 10 commandments? man it is late and I dont want to do an extensive search on all the lawsuits the ACLU have out there on the 10 commandments, cross in city seals, etc.

Moore's purpose, self-confessed in court testimony, was not historical. It can hardly be called a "traditionalist architecture" as it appeared over a recent (comparetively) weekend. Now it you would like to discuss this red-herring any further, I suggest you start a thread.

For someone that looks at God like that I would figure you would trust in Him

A shacky, at best, assumption on your part