OK, I started with my current employer in 1999. In 2000 I approached the HR department and requested they add domestic partner benefits so I could get some health coverage for Jon. As a small business owner with a previous heart condition it is nearly impossible for him to get private insurance. In 2000 I was told my company did not offer DP benefits, but maybe in the near future.

In 2002 I again went to HR and made the same request. We had a new benefits professional and I hoped she would be anxious to make her mark on the company by introducing a progressive new product. No. She was more interested in maintaining the status quo and said maybe in a couple of years.

In 2004, again with a new woman at the helm of the benefits ship, I requested DP benefits. This time the HR professional simply smiled and said "[my company] isn't interested in providing domestic partner benefits at this time."

Yeah, that was encouraging.

So in 2006 I approached the new woman in the position. (Sidebar: the HR department has a very high turnover rate in this position. But, because we "embrace diversity," a caucasian woman is always hired to fill the void.) This time I was told that if I was interested I could assemble information about similarly sized firms in the same line of business in the Columbus area that do offer DP benefits. She even said she'd be happy to present my information at the next benefits meeting where the company's management decides what benefits to provide in the coming year. Oh, and by the way, that meeting is in two weeks.

My understanding of her position is that it should be her job to gather this information, not the responsibility of the graphic designer. But since I was the one who wanted the change, I knew it was up to me. Sure, I was being given the brush-off, but this was a new way. I knew I couldn't make the two-week deadline, but I could be ready for next year.

I already have about a one-and-half inch sstack of paper to bolster my argument. The Human Rights Campaign was a huge help with statistics for Fortune 500 companies with DP benefits. I also have letters from some local companies as proof that others are offering their employees this alternative.

I can't wait to see how they deny me next time.