Now it’s official, statistically speaking anyway. Washington state’s Referendum 71, a domestic partnership bill which provides “Everything but Marriage” was passed by the voters 52 percent to 48 percent.

Sen. Ed Murray, a Seattle Democrat who spearheaded the law, called it “a great step forward for equality in Washington state.”

“I’m relieved,” he said. “I was very concerned that if the voters had said no, it would have been a major setback for gay and lesbian families in Washington state.”

The measure asked voters to approve or reject the latest expansion of the state’s domestic partnership law, granting registered domestic partners additional state rights previously given only to married couples.

Full-fledged gay marriage is still not allowed under Washington law.

Gary Randall of Protect Marriage Washington, which opposed the law and pushed to get the referendum on the ballot, said they weren’t ready to concede.

“We’re just going to wait and watch it play out,” he said.

It’s good to see at least one state not buy into the hate and fear. Congrats to Washington Families Standing Together and everyone else who fought to get Ref. 71 passed.

President Obama has just signed the Presidential Memorandum on Federal Benefits and Non-Discrimination which extends “some” benefits to the partners of federal gay and lesbian employees. Those benefits are restricted to:

Civil Service Employees

• Domestic partners of federal employees can be added to the long-term care insurance program
• Supervisors are required to allow employees to use their sick leave to take care of domestic partners and non-biological, non-adopted children

Foreign Service Employees

• Use of medical facilities at posts abroad
• Medical evacuation from posts abroad
• Inclusion in family size for housing allocations

The Memorandum unfortunately does not extend healthcare benefits to partners of gay and lesbian. In fact, many of the benefits already exist, as reported by John Aravosis at Americablog:

I just asked OPM Director John Berry, on a White House media conference call, whether in fact federal agencies already have the right to give these benefits to gay employees. The answer, “yes.” So what’s new about tonight? Obama is going to “tell” the agencies to give the benefits – as if any agency in the Obama administration would dare tell a gay employee no to a request for time off to attend their partner’s funeral?

Obama also announced his support for the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act which extends equal treatment in benefits for federal employees.

Video of Obama signing the Memorandum below:

The full text of the President Obama’s statement available here.

Over the weekend the Nevada legislature by margins of 14-7 in the Senate and 28-14 in the Assembly voted to override a veto on a domestic partnership bill that granted both straight and same-sex couples many of the same rights and responsibilities available to married couples. Governor Jim Gibbons vetoed the bill believing “government has no business in your medicine chest or bedroom,” and because it went against the spirit of Nevada’s 2002 amendment declaring that marriage was only between a man and a woman.

In addition to protecting couples against discrimination, the new measure will bring parity with marriage on issues such as debt and property. The bill however does not force employers to offer health care and other benefits to domestic partners as is the case in California.

The new law goes into effect October 1.

Secretary of State Hillary  Clinton is preparing to release a memo soon advocating equal benefits to all State department employees. Some of the passages from the memo include…

“Historically, domestic partners of Foreign Service members have not been provided the same training, benefits, allowances and protections that other family members receive. These inequities are unfair and must end.”

“Providing training, medical care and other benefits to domestic partners promote the cohesiveness, safety and effectiveness of our posts abroad.”

“It will also help the department attract and retain personnel in a competitive environment where domestic partner benefits and allowances are increasingly the norm for world-class employers.”

“At bottom, the department will provide these benefits for both opposite-sex and same-sex domestic partners because it is the right thing to do.”

The memo which was obtained by AP has not yet been made public. Any policy changes will not take effect immediately however as they are  subject to an inter-agency review before being implemented. Currently, domestic partners are been denied benefits because of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which does not permit the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages.