On the first day of the new year, a new domestic partnership law went into effect in the state of California. Considering the strain that the LGBT community has endured (especially this past year), AB 205 is a step to some improvement for the future, reports NOW.

According to the law, “[r]egistered domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections, and benefits, and shall be subject to the same responsibilities, obligations, and duties under [California state] law . . . as are granted to and imposed upon spouses."

It’s not nearly the end of the battle, but hopefully it’s a step towards legalizing same-sex marriages and protecting same-sex couples and their children.

For more information about AB 205, click here.