Davis signs law giving domestic partners "marriage" rights
California Gov. Gray Davis (news - web sites), facing a recall election scheduled for less than three weeks away, cited his support for same-sex couples on Saturday as he campaigned in the heart of San Francisco's gay district. Davis on Friday signed a la
Sealing his reputation as one of the nation's most gay-friendly governors, Gray Davis signed a domestic partner bill Friday night granting same-sex couples in California nearly all the same rights and responsibilities as married spouses.
"I am strongly committed to extending human rights and equal rights to everyone. A family is a family not because of gender but because of values, like commitment, trust and love," Davis said before he put pen to paper amid cheers and applause from the standing-room only crowd at San Francisco's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender center.
California already had strong domestic-partner laws, but the bill Davis signed closes the legal gap, to the extent possible under federal law, that separates homosexual and heterosexual couples.
With gays and lesbians among the most reliable Democratic voters, Davis has worked hard to solidify his image as a champion...