Why Separate is Not Equal

California's domestic partnership law grants the same rights to domestic partners as to surviving spouses except for narrow areas BUT, the state agency overseeing crematories does not accept this and refuses to grant licenses to crematoriums on the authority of a surviving domestic partner.

Unless EVERY existing law is changed or countless court battles are fought to establish that "same" means "same" by precedent, some asshat somewhere is going to insist that a law that says spouse does not include domestic partners.

This is the situation I am now in regarding the remains of my partner, Jeanne who died last Saturday. I don't have time to fight a legal battle because the law gives me only eight days to take charge of things and then the county is in charge.

Separate is NEVER equal.

- Joyce Melton