ChicoMax

ChicoMax wishes everyone a Happy New Year.  Let’s hope that 2007 sees the LGBT community build on our successes and forge our way past the setbacks of 2006.

Our two biggest victories came at the end of 2006.  The first was the defeat of Sick Rick Santorum.  This anti gay bigot was tossed out like the trash he is.  It was heartening to see the people of Pennsylvania finally say they have had enough of Rick.  The other was the Court ruling and subsequent passage of the Civil Union law in New Jersey.  Although it does not go far enough it is a great step in the right direction.  One could only wish that the Pennsylvania Legislature could be as progressive as New Jersey’s.

We lost some court battles we should have won in New York and Washington State but New Jersey proves that we can still overcome this blatant attack on our basic human rights.

Happy New Year to everyone and let’s keep up the pressure and make 2007 the most progressive year ever.  Peace and happiness to all!

We at ChicoMax wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Let’s hope it’s the best one yet. 

A New Year with new promise.  We must work together to make this world better for everyone.  As long as anyone is suffering or living in poverty or lacking health care we are all poorer.  We owe it to everyone to realize that all people deserve to live full and equal lives and that no one’s life is worth more or less than anyone else’s.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Thursday, December 21, New Jersey Governor Corzine signed legislation granting full relationship recognition rights in New Jersey through civil unions — read more for answers to some common questions about New Jersey civil unions.
 
1. When does the civil unions law go into effect?

The law goes into effect on Monday, February 19, 2007; sixty days after Governor Corzine signed the bill into law. Monday, February 19, 2007 is the first day you will be allowed to obtain a civil union license. New Jersey law mandates a 72-hour waiting period between getting the license and actually getting civil unioned, equal to the waiting period before getting married.
 
2. We don’t live in New Jersey but we want to get a civil union in New Jersey. Can we?

Yes, you can. New Jersey does not have a residency requirement for either marriages or civil unions. If you are not residents of New Jersey, pick up a civil union license in the municipality in which your civil union will take place

It is unclear at this time how civil unions will be received in Pennsylvania. Current Pennsylvania law does not specifically recognize civil unions — this means that your civil union may not be recognized in Pennsylvania. The New Jersey law will not affect the 1996 Pennsylvania Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibits same-sex couples from being married in this state. That legislation also states that Pennsylvania will not recognize same-sex marriages from other states.

 3. What are the mechanics of getting a civil union?

If you’re a New Jersey couple or one of you lives in New Jersey, you may pick up a civil union license in the municipality in which you live. Go to your city hall, township hall, village hall or borough hall during business hours. If neither of you live in New Jersey, pick up a civil union license in the municipality in which your civil union will take place.

Again, as with marriages, New Jersey has a 72-hour waiting period between the time you get your license and the time you go through with your civil union. Once you pick up your civil union license, the license is good for 30 calendar days.

4. My partner and I got a civil union in another state. Can we still get civil-unioned in New Jersey if we want to?

If you and your partner got a civil union in Vermont or Connecticut, New Jersey’s new civil unions law allows you automatically to consider yourselves civil unioned in New Jersey. But according to the new law, you also have the option of getting another civil union in New Jersey.

Thanks to Garden State Equality and the Center for Civil Rights for providing information about this great step forward in New Jersey.
 
Although this is a step forward we still have a long way to go.  This law applies only to state rights it does not have any effect on rights granted by the federal government.  Social security and Federal Income tax benefits as well as immigration procedures, which automatically grant citizenship to married couples, are not changed.  Opposite sex couples that are married in one state are automatically considered married in all 50 states and this is another area that needs too be addressed if we are to achieve full equality under the law.  We have to continue the fight to realize these rights granted by the federal government.  This battle for equality is slowly making progress one state at a time. 

This is Nadine’s story. She has a horror story to tell about why we need universal single payer health care. Watch her video and you will understand why she is deeply committed to the goal of universal health care. Nadine is co-chair of HELP Fund PA (Health Education & Legislative Progress Fund of Pennsylvania). The HELP Fund PA web site will be up soon. Until it is the Pennsylvania Health Care Solutions web site has the information about the goals and the bills involved it enacting this crucial legislation. Please check them out and join our coalition and help make this a reality for everyone in Pennsylvania.

We have the opportunity to work with a broad range of progressive allies for the implementation of Health Care for all Pennsylvanians. ChicoMax is working with Citizen Solutions for PA and we are looking for more people to join our coalition to pressure the State Legislature to enact single payer health care for all people in Pennsylvania. In this video that is narrated by Chuck Pennacchio, whom many will remember as a candidate for United States Senate, Chuck outlines some of the basic benefits and reasons why this is so important. It would benefit everyone from individual to businesses. While not a primarily LGBT issue, Universal Health Care is something for which we should all fight. It would end the “same sex” and “domestic” partner health care debate - by automatically covering everyone under the universal plan.

We encourage everyone to join this fight. Make Pennsylvania a national leader on health care. We can not wait for the United States Congress to reform our broken health care system we must start here and show them it can work. Please contact you state legislators and tell them you want Universal Single Payer Health Care in 2007. You can find out how to contact them here. Governor Rendell has said that if presented a bill he would sign it.

Please watch Chuck’s You Tube Video. He is also involved with Pennsylvania HealthCare Solutions Coalition and their web site is here.