Abstract
In this article the writer presents an examination of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and looks at how it relates to homosexual couples. The writer explores various companies that provide benefits for domestic partners as well as state statutes that mandate such policies. The writer claims how unfair it is that benefits are not federally mandated for the FMLA when it comes to domestic partner relationships. The writer points out that children are being adopted every day by gay couples and those parents are being deprived of spending the first few months at home bonding with that child. The writer maintains that a negative impact on the workforce is produced by the lack of federal mandate for FMLA with domestic partnerships. The writer concludes the essay with a personal point of view.

From the Paper
"In today's society many couples are non traditional. They are fully committed to each other and their life together but for various reasons are not married. Same sex couples are not allowed to be married and many heterosexual couples don't believe the government should force them to have a formal ceremony to commit to each other.
The FMLA leaves those couples out in the cold. Recently companies across the nation have taken a close look at the impact refusing domestic partner benefits has on the morale of their workforce and have decided to implement benefits on their own. In addition some states have made the move to mandate coverage for domestic partners through their jobs."

Tags:benefits, gay, couples, child

Abstract
This paper discusses the costs and value of offering domestic partner benefits to people in different kinds of domestic arrangements. The paper also discusses the negative aspects of such benefits, including costs and criticisms from stakeholders and groups against same-sex arrangements.

From the Paper
"A domestic partnership is usually understood to mean two unrelated unmarried adults who share the same household Domestic partner benefits are those offered by employers to the unmarried domestic partners of their employees..."

Tags:cost, benefits, domstic partner agreements, risk. backlash, human rights, same sex, opposite sex partnerships

Abstract
This paper takes a look at legislation in several states regarding same-sex marriage and argues that the current Bush administration's stance on same-sex marriages has prompted it to attempt to legislate against equal employment rights-health care, pensions and so on-for all citizens.

From the Paper
"One might almost view the current situation in employment legislation regarding same-sex marriage (or domestic partnerships or civil unions) as a mirror of the 2004 presidential election returns map. Generally speaking, the 'blue' states are working, however slowly and in whatever sort of patchwork, to extend employment benefits to domestic partners, the same ones enjoyed by partners in traditional marriages. The 'red' states are generally enacting legislation that not only disenfranchises those partnerships from employee benefits-insurance and pension plans-but also arguably are creating de facto or de jure government-authorized discrimination against those whose living and romantic arrangements with another human being were not recognized by a church or a government. Of course, some churches do recognize domestic partnerships; to prevent this recognition from affecting the course of various civil rights, many states have failed to recognize what those churches recognize."

Tags:civil, unions, different, genders, government, redefinition, misuse, punishable, offense

Abstract
This paper researches the dynamics of disruptive domestic disputes between gay and lesbian couples, and focuses on the counseling and support (both preventative and after the fact) that is available for couples whose lives have been negatively affected by domestic discord. The paper explains that there is a definite gap a definite gap in services for same-sex couples when it comes to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). The paper aims to address that gap and provides a complete and objective view of existing services as they are today, and as they should be given the number of gay and lesbian couples who need support. The paper poses various questions - such as what can be done to prevent IPV and to work with victims, whether gay or straight - and answers them by citing real-life examples. The concept of minority stress is also discussed. The paper concludes with references to helpful sources of information for couples who are experiencing interpersonal difficulties.

Outline:
Introduction
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) - Definitions / Descriptions
More Sources of Information and Support for Lesbian and Gay Victims
Gays and Lesbians and IPV
Informational Sources
Works Cited

From the Paper
"Law enforcement officers investigating a domestic disturbance between two gay men may have a difficult time identifying the abuser and the victim, according to Burke (2006) in the Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide. Officers arriving at a home where two gay men have been in a violent clash may incorrectly assume that the males "are of equal strength" and hence can handle the problem. But police need to be able to profile the couple correctly (for example, what is the occupation, education, religious and ethnic background of the two?); the bottom line is that being a person who batters a partner is not based on size or strength in a gay relationship, according to Burke."

Tags:closeted, battered, bigotry, gender, bias

Abstract
Over the last 100 years or so, the idea of what makes up a family unit has changed over the world. This paper studies the results of the important social changes which have occurred in the United States in the emergence of alternative family units. The paper shows that these social changes have affected the relationships between people in families, the communication between these people and the very structure of the families themselves. Two specific changes are discussed: (1) the arrangement of domestic partnerships wherein a man and woman reside together and may share in all of the duties and activities that would be common to a husband and wife, however they choose not to marry; and (2) the gay and lesbian families and how they have altered the societal perceptions of what the word 'family' actually means. While these two relationships do not affect everyone in society, they have changed what society thinks about families and marriage in many ways. Because of this, they are two of the most important societal changes that have come about in recent years and are worthy of discussion.

From the Paper
"This change in the term 'family' sometimes helps to pave the way for changes such as domestic partnerships, but it also confuses some of the issues that are important to them because they are not seen as a traditional family unit, and many of the laws are written to protect the traditional 'mother, father, and children' family unit. The forms that a family can take are much broader than they used to be, and although many of them are challenged, more and more of them are beginning to be embraced by society."

Tags:cohabitate, divorce, heterosexual

Abstract
This paper provides an overview of all aspects of limited liability companies (LLC). With the exception of corporate entities, the LLC is the only form of legal entity that lets all of its owners off the hook for business debts and other legal liabilities, such as court judgments and legal settlements obtained against the business. This paper studies the legal and tax-structures of LLCs, such as membership, capital contributions and legal precedents and trends regarding LLC tax structure. They paper pays close attention to the similarities and differences between LLCs and partnership arrangements.
Members of LLCs
Legal Challenges of International LLCs
Legal Trends
Capital Contributions

From the Paper
"In some states, professionals such as lawyers, doctors, veterinarians, architects, life insurance agents, and accountants are allowed to set up LLCs. These are designated Professional Limited Liability Companies (PLLCs) and have the same characteristics as regular LLCs. A domestic LLC is one that is formed in the state where the business is conducted. A foreign LLC is one that is formed in a state other than the one where the business is being conducted. A person would choose to form a foreign LLC because another state may have more business laws than the state where the business is being conducted."

Tags:limited, partnerships, proprietors, sole, tax, legal, precedent, liability, domestic, international

From the Paper
" Contracts
Contracts and Domestic Partners
In the context of current events, the recent ruling involving San Francisco's landmark "domestic partners" law is an important modification of contract law. In the 1996 first-in-the-nation partners ordinance, the City of San Francisco required that companies doing business with the city offer the same benefits to employees with domestic partners as they do to those in traditional marriages. U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken said the 1996 ordinance was constitutional (San Francisco "domestic partners" law..., 1998).
Judge Wilken's ruling came as the end result of a suit brought by the Air Transport Association which contended that San Francisco's 1996 domestic partners ordinance intruded on.."

From the Paper
"The issue to be discussed is whether or not homosexuals should be allowed to marry one another. The main reason why those in the gay community have called for the right to marry is usually not from a desire to be married as such but because of the desire for various social and economic benefits denied to gay people because they cannot marry. For some in the gay community, demands for gay marriage may in fact be a form of challenge to the "straight" community. For those who are truly serious about the issue, however, what is important is the attempt to secure for homosexual partners rights that are taken for granted by heterosexual married couples, such as the right to inheritance, to insurance benefits, for one partner to visit the other in a hospital, and so on. Society to date has deemed marriage to mean more than this and to have at least the..."

Abstract
This paper discusses how same-sex marriage has never been allowed in law or religious doctrine and how some see a law as a threat to religious freedom and others see it as a threat to the definition of marriage and so to the family in society. It examines three possible solutions for the issue of gay marriage, to not allow gay marriage and to keep the current laws regarding the meaning of marriage and of spousal rights, to allow gay marriage, which would automatically bring gay marriages into alignment with existing laws on spousal rights and to prohibit gay marriage but to allow a form of domestic partnership agreement which would not be a marriage but which would bring spousal rights to gay couples. The implications of these options are evaluated as well as current legal issues facing gay couples.

From the Paper
"Some of the arguments for same-sex marriage are intended to counter directly arguments against same-sex marriage. One argument against is that marriage is for procreation. The argument for same-sex marriage is that this is no different than a childless couple, though no one is saying such a couple should not be married or that they should not have the legal benefits of marriage. This is a logical counter to the aforementioned argument, though it does fail to indicate that there is still a difference--heterosexual marriage carries with it the possibility of procreation while same-sex marriage does not (Stengel 52)."

Tags:gay, couples, domestic, partnership, agreement, spousal, rights

Abstract
This paper discusses whether or not homosexuals should be allowed to marry one another. For some in the gay community, demands for gay marriage may in fact be a form of challenge to the "straight" community, but those who are truly serious about the issue are attempting to secure for homosexual partners such rights taken for granted by heterosexual married couples as the right to inheritance, to insurance benefits, for one partner to visit the other in a hospital and so on. The paper shows that society has so far deemed marriage to mean more than this and to have at least the possibility of procreating children and this idea, sometimes but not necessarily touted as a demonstration of dedication to family or so-called "family values," is used as an argument to deny gays the right to marry one another. The paper argues that one does not have to subscribe to this vision of "family values" to oppose gay marriage, however, for there are a number of reasons why marriage should continue to be reserved for heterosexuals. If gays want to achieve certain rights, which indeed they should have, they can do so through some form of domestic partnership, which is already in place in many states and which can be expanded to serve the needs of all. This protects the institution of marriage while giving reasonable benefits to any domestic partner arrangement. The paper looks at the issue from a historical perspective and then offers a constitutional analysis to show how gay marriage has been presented in American law.

From the Paper
"The cases discussed above in Hawaii, Vermont, Massachusetts, and other states constitute the current body of case law specifically on the issue of gay marriage. The U.S. Supreme Court has not yet had a case on the subject and so has not decided the issue. When such a case does reach the Court, proponents of gay marriage are likely to raise the issue in terms of the privacy rights cited above, while the opposing side is likely to emphasize the definition of marriage and the fact that numerous states today have laws on the books defining marriage as between a man and a woman only, with many such laws passed preemptively to avoid having to recognize gay marriages."

Tags:sex, discrimination, sodomy, Griswold