The impact of Oregon’s ban on gay marriage is real. (WP). What makes Oregon stand apart from the other 10 states that just passed amendments is the fact that Oregon has 3,000 legally married same-sex couples to deal with.

As she watched her 3-year-old son convert a box into a spaceship, Kelly Burke was dreading the arrival of a letter that could change their lives. The stay-at-home mom and her partner of 15 years, Dolores Doyle, are among the nearly 3,000 gay couples who wed in Oregon this spring. Now the status of those marriages, and the benefits that come with them, is unclear after Oregon voters decisively approved a ban on gay marriage this past week.

“The mailman came this morning and I panicked,” said Burke, who relies on Doyle’s employer for health insurance. “My first thought is: ‘Oh my God, here comes the letter. They’re cutting me off.'”

While 11 states passed constitutional amendments banning gay marriage on Election Day, Oregon is the only state among them where the government has already approved gay marriage, albeit temporarily.

Some 2,960 gay couples tied the knot after Multnomah County momentarily flung open the door to same-sex marriage. A judge stopped the practice after six weeks, and the state has refused to acknowledge the marriages pending the outcome of a lawsuit on the constitutionality of banning same-sex marriage.

Still, some companies took it upon themselves to view the couples as legally married, extending benefits – such as insurance coverage – not previously available.

Before their wedding, Burke paid $200 a month out-of-pocket for her own, minimal insurance.

“With our marriage came a huge financial relief – as well as huge emotional relief. I could actually sleep at night and know I’ll be taken care of. That uncertainty has now crept back in,” she said.

***

This man is so hateful, it’s hard to imagine he’s happy in his personal life.

While on this topic, I watched ABC’s “This Week” Sunday and that god-fearing, fag-hating James Dobson (Focus on the Family) was on. He could barely contain his glee in the Bush victory, but the disturbing thing about the interview is how critical he was of Bush and other Republicans, Arlen Specter in particular. He expects to be somewhat disappointed in Bush’s second term (even though Shrub’s going to push FMA) because they are not conservative enough. He really ripped Pat Leahy a new one, but in a nice “Christian” way. (Ripped this portion of transcript from Josh Marshall’s page).

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Dr. Dobson, you also have a problem with the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Patrick Leahy. I want to show something that was reported in “The Daily Oklahoman” during the campaign. In the “Daily Oklahoman,” it quoted you saying, “Patrick Leahy is a God’s people hater. I don’t know if he hates God, but he hates God’s people.” Now, Dr. Dobson, that doesn’t sound like a particularly Christian thing to say. Do you think you owe Senator Leahy an apology?

DR JAMES DOBSON: George, you think you ought to lecture me on what a Christian is all about? You know, I think -I think I’ll stand by the things I have said. Patrick Leahy has been in opposition to most of the things that I believe. He is the one that took the reference to God out of the oath.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But Dr. Dobson, excuse me for a second. You use the word hate. You said that he’s a “God’s people hater.” How do you back that up?

DR JAMES DOBSON: Well, there’s been an awful lot of hate expressed in this election. And most of it has been aimed at those who hold to conservative Christian views. He is certainly not the only one to take a position like that. But

I think that that is -that’s where he’s coming from. He has certainly

opposed most of the things that conservative Christians stand for.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apology?

DR JAMES DOBSON: No apology.

This guy is a whack job. Dobson is the kind of wingnut that sends me over the edge. It makes me want to go back and read this article to try and remember that there is logic, albeit warped logic, to this evangelical thinking. And it must be fought.