Milwaukee lesbian gay bar and restaurant MONA's invites LGBT their straight family and friends to enjoy a drink, great food, and wild times

Photo credit to: http://www.fairwisconsin.com

VOTE NO!
A Fair Wisconsin Votes No!

This is the text of the constitutional ban that Wisconsin voters will consider on November 7th:

"Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state."

The ban has two equally significant sentences. The first sentence would permanently deny marriage rights to loving, committed gay families who live in every Wisconsin county. The second would foreclose the possibility of civil unions. It would also seriously endanger existing legal protections for all unmarried couples.

The ban will hurt real Wisconsin families The denial of marriage hurts loving and committed lesbian and gay couples who live in every part of Wisconsin. These couples have taken on the responsibilities of marriage, yet they are denied the critical legal protections that marriage provides.

The proposed constitutional ban on civil unions and marriage will make that denial of marriage permanent.

A marriage license extends to over 1,000 rights, benefits, and responsibilities under federal law and nearly 200 more under Wisconsin law listed below... just 100 of them. These include basic things like being able to share health and retirement benefits and take bereavement leave in the case of a death in the family.

Below are just 100 of the rights, responsibilities, and protections that would permanently be denied to Wisconsin families if our state passes the proposed constitutional ban on civil unions and marriage.

Which would you want to be denied?

1. No automatic right to make health care decisions for partner

2. No automatic right to visit partner in the hospital

3. No right to sue for wrongful death if partner negligently killed

4. No right to consent or refuse consent to an autopsy of partner�s body

5. No vested right to be buried in cemetery plot with partner

6. No automatic right to inherit cemetery plot

7. No automatic right to make arrangements for funeral or dispose of deceased partner�s body

8. No right to donate partner's body or organs after death

9. No automatic right to inherit deceased partner�s estate

10. A prior will is not automatically revoked when entering a new relationship

11. A prior will is not automatically revoked when the relationship ends

12. No right to be notified in a public notice before partner�s will is destroyed by an attorney

13. No preference to be appointed personal representative of deceased partner�s estate

14. No right to continue to live in the deceased partner�s home for one year after partner�s death

15. No automatic right to notice in matters involving deceased partner�s estate

16. No right to support from deceased partner�s estate

17. No right to demand one-quarter share of partner's estate if will leaves less than that

18. No automatic right to notice that a conservatorship or guardianship is being filed against partner unless currently living together

19. May not get highest preference by court to be appointed as guardian or conservator for incapacitated partner

20. No right to private visits in long-term care facility

21. No right to share a room in long-term care facility

22. No right to file joint tax returns

23. No right to name partner as health care decision-maker when partner is serving as physician

24. No right to rollover IRA upon partner�s death and continue tax deferral

25. Surviving partner may have to pay inheritance tax when first partner dies

26. No automatic right to receive deceased partner�s unpaid state salary and other moneys due

27. No right to maintain deceased veteran's property tax exemption

28. No right to claim senior or disabled property tax deferral when property is jointly owned but only one partner qualifies

29. No right to continue deferral of previous taxes deferred by deceased partner even though surviving partner is currently eligible for deferral

30. No protection against impoverishment if disabled partner needs Medicaid benefits for long-term care

31. Cannot transfer residence or other assets to partner without causing the disabled partner to become ineligible for Medicaid

32. When partner who received Medicaid dies, the state can recover the amount paid against the estate of the deceased partner even while the surviving partner is still alive

33. No right to require suppliers to repurchase deceased retailer�s inventory

34. Partner of retailer has no cause of action against non-paying suppliers on cancellation of a retailer agreement

35. Not automatically an �authorized driver� on partner�s rental car

36. No absolute right to transfer a franchise or dealership to partner

37. No right to be a designated successor in deceased partner�s retail dealership

38. No right to partner�s Wisconsin medical insurance pool coverage

39. No automotive personal injury protection benefits for partner

40. No right to coverage under partner�s health benefit plan

41. No automatic right to obtain life insurance on partner

42. No uninsured motorist insurance coverage for partner

43. No right to spousal cash surrender valuation of term life insurance on partner

44. No right to coverage under deceased partner�s group health insurance plan

45. No protection for partner�s home in bankruptcy

46. Private conversations with partner are not protected in court

47. Conversations with a marriage counselor are not protected in court

48. No automatic education on fetal alcohol syndrome

49. No court-ordered counseling upon divorce

50. No court-ordered life insurance upon divorce

51. Partner not responsible for family expenses

52. No automatic paternity for children

53. Must testify against partner in a court case

54. Must surrender home to satisfy lien for partner�s unpaid medical treatment in long- term care facility

55. No right to sue long- term care facility that fails to discharge lien in a timely manner once overdue charges for partner are paid

56. No right to avoid court appointment of a property manager during foreclosure of partner�s home

57. No right to maintain a dwelling on EFU (exclusive farm use) property even if occupied by farm operator�s partner

58. No right to maintain a dwelling in a farm or forest zone even if lawfully created or acquired by the owner�s partner

59. No right as a partner to a landowner to obtain a �landowner preference tag� for hunting from the Fish & Wildlife Commission

60. No right to examine or get copy of autopsy report of deceased partner

61. No right to receive personal effects from deceased partner�s body

62. No access to partner�s death record

63. No automatic right of survivorship for jointly owned real property

64. No right to sell property qualified for farm use assessment to partner without disqualification

65. No right to loss of support payments from the state crime victims� compensation fund if partner killed in a crime

66. No right to family therapy from state crime victims� compensation fund in case of child sexual abuse

67. No right to crisis counseling through state crime victims� compensation fund if partner is a victim of international terrorism

68. No right to exclude capital gain on principal residence based on partner�s ownership

69. Must pay taxes on employer health insurance benefits for partner

70. No right to deduct partner�s medical expenses on income tax return

71. No right to receive deceased partner�s wages

72. No right to deceased partner's wage claim against non- paying employer

73. No right to work on partner's farm for less than minimum wage

74. No eligibility for scholarship if partner is disabled or killed on the job

75. No right to sue for partner's death that was a result of an unsafe workplace

76. No right to workers� compensation benefits if partner disabled or killed on the job

77. No right to opt out of workers� compensation insurance as a family business

78. No right to sue non- employer for negligently killing partner on the job

79. No right to continue workers� compensation benefits until remarriage if partner is killed or disabled on the job

80. Required to comply with childcare facility regulations when caring only for partner's children

81. No automatic right to special retirement benefit after death of partner who was a police officer or a firefighter

82. No right as unmarried couple with children to be treated as married for workers� compensation rights and benefits

83. No automatic right to partner�s group insurance provided by public retirement system.

84. No right to opt out of unemployment insurance as a family business

85. No right to receive deceased partner�s unemployment benefits

86. Required to comply with farm labor contractor regulations when working only with partner

87. Subjected to employment discrimination laws when hiring partner in family business

88. Employer can refuse to hire or discharge employee because it employs or has employed partner

89. No protection through emergency court orders in case of divorce

90. No tax exemption for dividing property upon divorce

91. No dividing retirement plans upon divorce

92. No automatic right to receive partner�s judicial retirement pension

93. No automatic right to make retirement selection from deceased partner�s public employee retirement benefit

94. No automatic right to partner�s pre-Medicare insurance benefit provided by public retirement system

95. No automatic right to partner�s Medicare supplemental insurance paid for by public retirement system

96. No automatic right to approve partner�s public employee retirement choices

97. No automatic right to special pre-retirement public employee retirement benefit after death of partner who was a judge

98. No right for partner of disabled or killed public safety officer to Public Safety Memorial Fund benefits

99. No automatic right to receive partner�s public employment benefits 100.

100. No right to retired partner�s health insurance offered by local government employers This list was originally created by a group in Oregon. A few of the particular terms might be Oregon specific but they approximate Wisconsin provisions.

Please take a look at the fairwisconsin website. They are fighting hard to ensure that our relationships... that your relationships are protected within the laws of this state and ultimately those of the United States of America.

Pictures and text taken from the Fair Wisconsin website:
http://www.fairwisconsin.html.
Thanks to Fair Wisconsin for all of their hard work.
For further information, please refer directly to the Fair Wisconsin website.

http://www.fairwisconsin.com

Fair Wiscosnin is working hard to protect your relationships.