Focus on the Family, the huge Colorado-based "family values" group, is promoting a kind of statewide partnership bill that would expand legal benefits for unspecified unmarried households (including 'roommates,' relatives, friends, and by default same-sex couples). Of course, it's doing so in an effort to derail an actual civil unions bill for gay partners that the state is also considering.
This development is interesting on several levels. For one, anti-gay loony Paul Cameron has denounced Focus and its leader, James Dobson, in no uncertain terms for selling out. But it may be that Focus, unlike Cameron, realizes it must make some accommodation to "nontraditional" households if it's going to maintain credibility. Or maybe its leaders aren't the Nazi-like monsters of gay fundraising letters and are seeking some sort of (from their view) fair compromise.
More interesting still, however, is that by supporting a measure
that can apply to shacked-up straights, the group really
is endorsing a "marriage lite" that grants state-provided
bennies to those legally entitled to marry but who just don't wanna
make that level of commitment, and which could thus weaken
the institution of matrimony. But Focus would rather risk this than
allow legislation which specifically recognizes that gay people
exist and are entitled to at least some semblance of spousal
rights, which might then pave the way for gays to actually
wed.