Thursday, September 16, 2010

Associate History Professor at EKU opposes domestic partnerships which are effective January 2011

Todd Hartch an Associate Professor in the history department of Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) recently wrote to The Eastern Progress (EKU's student newspaper) that EKU offering domestic partnerships beginning January 2011 "undermines marriage."

Hartch went on to say: "The policy endorses the practice of unmarried couples living together and confers marriage-like benefits to them. It says to EKU, to Madison County, and to Kentucky that sexual relationships outside of marriage are not only legitimate but important enough to necessitate university sponsorship."

Hartch goes to the say that offering domestic partnerships at EKU violates the Commonwealth's Constitution. Without knowing what kind of "history" Hartch teaches, he should remember then Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo (now Speaker of the House) ruled on this.

It is somewhat scary that a history professor doesn't know a critical ruling of the Kentucky Department of Law, headed by the Attorney General.


As United We Stand - Kentucky's LGBTI News reported on June 01, 2007:
Kentucky's top law enforcement officer, Attorney General Greg Stumbo (D) ruled domestic-partner benefits unconstitutional today, but left the door open for universities and colleges around the commonwealth to make them constitutional by broadening their definition of domestic-partner.

House Representative Stan Lee (R), currently running for the Office of Attorney General to replace Stumbo was one of two representatives to request the opinion (no surprise there).

“They still have the flexibility to allow and to offer their health insurance plan and its benefit structure to other people,” Stumbo said. “They cannot define the class of people in a manner that would be creating a legal status similar to that of marriage.”

The University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville currently offer domestic-partner benefits.

The professor is not the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth or an attorney, and the Kentucky Attorney General left the door wide open to allow this! Perhaps Hartch should read more history.

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