As anticipated, Oregonian Governor Ted Kulongoski signed the state's domestic partner bill this morning. Once the bill goes into effect on January 1, 2008, gays and lesbians will be afforded many - but not all - of the privileges of marriage.

With his signature, Kulongoski said, the Beaver state (seriously) will go from a state of "exclusion to one of complete inclusion". The governor also spilled some ink on a non-discrimination bill which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Beaver state's looking more and more appealing. Perhaps we'll forge a trail down Oregon way...

Oregon gov. signs domestic partner bill [Houston Chronicle]

Oregon's one step closer to domestic partnership rights. The House voted yesterday that same-sex couples (among others) deserve many of the same rights as straight married couples. Speaking on the historic win, Basic Rights Oregon's Aisling Coghlan remarked:

Today is without question a monumental day for not only Oregon, but for our nation. Oregonians know too well the value of being able to protect our families--and this bill directly reflects that deeply held pro-family belief. Basic Rights Oregon applauds the Senators who voted in favor of basic fairness for all Oregon families, a value very much in step with the majority of Oregonians. We should all be proud of this historic day.
...
House Bill 2007 is not simply another piece of legislation, but a moral call that both the Senate and House have strongly answered and the Governor has pledged to meet.

Oregon Domestic Partnership Bill Heads to Governor's Desk [Salem News]

• Moscow's mayor doesn't want the planned Gay Pride party to happen on May 27, saying it will "provoke society." We wonder if he means provoke them to throw rocks at gays and harass them openly in the street. Whoops, that is already happening and the parade is still weeks away. [365 Gay]

• Ostensibly straight and married member of the British Parliament Mark Oaten says that his recent affair with a rent boy had more to do with the pressures of work than with his love of assfucking. He is now back with his wife who "understands his betrayal." [Pink News]

• 80% of old Greek people living in rural Cyprus are opposed to homosexuality. While we are not surprised by the statistic, weren't the Greeks the ones who invented homosexuality back in the day? [Irish Examiner]

• Colorado voters will get to decide whether gay Coloradans receive domestic partner benefits. A scary prospect. [Washington Blade]

No, we’re not talking abs, we’re talking taxes. What do you do if the state you live in affords all of the financial benefits of marriage to gay couples while the federal government still doesn’t? That’s the position the nearly 71,000 Californians have found themselves in this year come tax time.

The thorniest issue centers on the basic question of how to report income on a federal tax return. For example, if one partner earns $100,000 but a stay-at-home partner earns nothing, are they now entitled to report $50,000 of income on their individual returns? If the stay-home partner's $50,000 share isn't considered income, is it a taxable gift -- or something else?

Domestic partners can't assume they'll be safe simply reporting income separately, the way they did before the state law took effect, some experts say. If the IRS decides to treat domestic partners more like married couples, some could find out later that they owe taxes because they weren't entitled to tax breaks they claimed.

"It's so bad that I don't know if I'd be able to file a return for these folks,'' said Kathleen Wright, a Bay Area tax attorney and professor at San Jose State University. She and others recommended filing for an extension, in hopes that the IRS will clarify the rules.

Basically, the answer from the IRS is ‘we have no idea.’ In the meantime, California’s married gays are left wondering what to do. And trust us, Turbo Tax is no help with this - we already tried.

Domestic partners stuck in tax-return limbo [Mercury News]

The Czech parliament has just voted to grant some rights to same-sex couples. It isn’t full marriage yet, but it’s a start for the generally liberal Eastern European country known mainly to Americans as “the place you go after college.”

If approved also by President Vaclav Klaus, the legislation will allow couples who register their partnership with authorities to have inheritance and health care rights similar to those granted now to heterosexual married couples.

The law, however, does not allow marriage or adoption of children by same-sex partners.

We’re booking our trip to Prague as we speak. Oh, and notice how we refrained from any use of the horrid pun “Czech-Mate?” You won’t get that kind of restraint from the AP. Well, at least in the copy.

Czech parliament approves gay partnership rights [Washington Blade]