> Huh? Why is the use of this term a problem? Is this some kind of
> generational thing I don't get?
No; if there's any difference, people my age are much more likely to use "partner."
I should have clarified that I don't care what you or anyone else on the lists calls the other people in your lives. Like your diet, fashion, and musical choices, it's none of my business, and frankly not something I'll find terribly interesting.
However, there's a certain breed of sanctimonious pricks who makes it their business to enforce a common vocabulary on the rest of us. I don't think you're one of those, but all my problems with "partner" stem from their existence.
Bay Area PC Nazi: "Don't you mean PARTNER?"
Me: "Actually, I meant FUCK YOU."
One of these days...