NEW YORK — Jay Lassiter is no longer “in a relationship.” Let’s clarify that: Lassiter, a media adviser for political campaigns who lives in Cherry Hill, N.J., is still with his partner of nearly eight years, Greg Lehmkuho. But since Thursday, when Facebook expanded its romantic-status options, Lassiter’s profile there echoes his relationship’s legal status: “Domestic partnership.” It may not be a life-altering change. After all, you can call yourself anything you want on a social network. And Facebook is merely that.
But, Lassiter notes: “I’m no different from all those other Facebook users whose identity is tied up with their Facebook pages, for better or for worse.” And so, he says: “It’s high time. It’s an affirming gesture. It’s sort of one tiny step for gays but a giant leap for gay rights.” Facebook’s addition of civil unions and domestic partnerships to the list of relationships its users can pick from came after talks with gay-rights organizations, including GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The Associated Press
