Archive Version of
Partners Task Force for Gay and Lesbian Couples
Online from 1995-2022

Demian and Steve Bryant originally founded Partners as a monthly newsletter in 1986. By late 1990 it was reformatted into a bi-monthly magazine. Print publication was halted by 1995 when Demian published Partners as a Web site, which greatly expanded readership.

In 1988, the Partners National Survey of Lesbian & Gay Couples report was published; the first major U.S. survey on same-sex couples in a decade.

In 1996, Demian produced The Right to Marry, a video documentary based on the dire need for equality that was made clear by the data from the survey mentioned above. The video featured interviews with Rev. Mel White, Evan Wolfson, Phyllis Burke, Richard Mohr, Kevin Cathcart, Faygele benMiriam, Benjamin Cable-McCarthy, Susan Reardon, Frances Fuchs, Tina Podlodowski, and Chelle Mileur.

Demian has been the sole operator during the last two decades of Partners.

Demian stopped work on Partners Task Force in order to realize his other time-consuming projects, which include publishing the book “Operating Manual for Same-Sex Couples: Navigating the rules, rites & rights” - which is now available on Amazon. The book is based on the Partners Survey mentioned above, his interviews of scores of couples, and 36 years of writing hundreds of articles about same-sex couples. It’s also been informed by his personal experience in a 20-year, same-sex relationship.

Demian’s other project is to publish his “Photo Stories by Demian” books based on his more than six decades as a photographer and writer.


Partners Task Force for Gay & Lesbian Couples
Demian, director    206-935-1206    demian@buddybuddy.com    Seattle, WA    Founded 1986

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In Support of Freedom to Marry
by Rep. John Lewis, (D) Georgia
Testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, July 20, 2011


Chairman Leahy and Ranking Member Grassley, Members of the Committee, I thank you for inviting me to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. It is an honor to be here.

I am very happy to see the Judiciary Committee holding hearings to address the issue of marriage equality. But at the same time, Mr. Chairman, I must admit I find it unbelievable that in the year 2011 there is still a need to hold hearings and debate whether or not a human being should be able to marry the one they love.

I grew up in southern Alabama, outside of a little city called Troy. Throughout my entire childhood, I saw those signs that said “white restroom,” “colored restroom,” “white water fountain,” “colored water fountain.” I tasted the bitter fruits of racism and discrimination, and I did not like it. And in 1996 when Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, the taste of that old bitter fruit filled my mouth once again.

The Defense of Marriage Act is a stain on our democracy. We must do away with this unjust, discriminatory law once and for all. It reminds me of another dark time in our nation's history, the many years when states passed laws banning blacks and whites from marrying. We look back at that time now with disbelief, and one day we will look back on this period with that same sense of disbelief.

When people used to ask Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. about interracial marriage, he would say, “Races do not fall in love and get married. Individuals fall in love and get married.” Marriage is a basic human right. No government, federal or state, should tell people they cannot be married. We should encourage people to love and not hate.

Human rights, civil rights, these are issues of dignity. Every human being walking this Earth, man or woman, gay or straight, is entitled to the same rights. It is in keeping with the American promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These words mean as much now as they did at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

That is why Congress must not only repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, but work to ensure full marriage equality for all citizens, together with the privileges and benefits marriage provides. All across this nation, same-sex couples are denied the very rights you and I enjoy. They are denied hospital visitation rights, and they are denied equal rights and benefits in health insurance and pensions, simply because the person they love happens to be of the same sex. Even in states where they have achieved marriage equality, these unjust barriers remain, all because of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Unfortunately, too many of us are comfortable sitting on the sidelines while the federal government and state governments trample on the rights of our gay brothers and sisters. As elected officials, we are called to lead. We are called to be a headlight, and not a taillight. So I applaud the work of Congressman Nadler and Senator Feinstein, and I applaud the Senate Judiciary Committee for holding this hearing.

I urge this Committee, the Senate as a body, and the United States Congress as a whole to pass the Respect for Marriage Act as soon as possible. Justice delayed is justice denied, and passing this bill is simply the right thing to do.

More than just our constituents, these are our brothers and sisters. We cannot turn our backs on them. We must join hands and work together to create a more perfect union. We are one people, one family, the American family, and we all live together in this one house, the American House.

Mr. Chairman, I thank you again for inviting me to testify.


Rep. John Lewis was asked to testify before the Senate Judiciary committee by Chairman, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) as the committee assessed the impact of the “Defense of Marriage Act.”

The Senate was considering repealing the act through a new Senate bill introduced by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) called the “Respect for Marriage Act.” If enacted, the bill would restore the rights of all legally married couples along with any benefits that would lawfully accrue to them.


Congressman John Lewis was one of the original speakers
at the 1963 March on Washington and is author of
“Walking With the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement.”


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