<table cellspacing='0' cellpadding='0' border='0' ><tr><td valign='top' style='font: inherit;'><P>Jeanene & Lance, </P>
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<P>"Did you just want to type "partners" and "same-sex "marriage"" to raise my<BR>blood pressure? The word partner now has a connotation of homosexuality or<BR>shacking up -- nothing so pure as husband and wife teammates. Same-sex?<BR>Barf. "Marriage"? What a crock... and a travesty of the word and concept."</P>
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<P>"I'd agree with you Jeanene, I hate the term partner. It drives me nuts. It's like they don't want you to know whom they support or that they're supporting the gay life style by calling themselves partners so the others can hide within that setting. Whatever. Not my lifestyle and I'm quite proud of that."</P>
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<P>Okay, you both hate the term "partner". My husband (male) and I (female) lived together for 15 years. We considered ourselves married, but we could not marry (until last year) or I would have lost my health insurance as the former spouse of a retired federal employee. I am uninsurable by any other health insurance company due to several medical conditions. </P>
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<P>We called ourselves partners because that is exactly what we were; partners in a serious, for the rest of our lives, relationship and deeply in love with each other. </P>
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<P>What term would you have had us use? </P>
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<P>kateinmo</P></td></tr></table><br>