UPDATE: Unbelievable…the bigots got their injunction ^[1].

But for the day after New Years, not just the Eve of. One week from today expect lines out the door of the Multnomah County building, as gay and lesbian couples are finally able to file for their domestic partnerships ^[2] all across the state. Sure – it’s not the full marriage rights that most people would like to see – but it’s still a hard won victory.

There is however, one more obstacle in their way. Friday morning, there is a hearing in regards to the Alliance Defense Fund’s lawsuit against the Secretary of State over invalid signatures on their petition earlier this year. It’s a truly last ditch effort where they are required to prove that they will be ‘irreparably harmed ^[3]‘ if the domestic partnerships occur, which if course is ridiculous, but still scary nonetheless. I’ll be watching for updates online ^[4] throughout the morning.

For those few weeks in 2004 when Multnomah County was allowing marriages, I drove past the building everyday, and as newlywed myself, it made me cry to think of all these couples finally being able to enjoy the joys of that union. I think I’ll plan to have some Kleenex in hand when I drive back into work next Wednesday morning.