thou shalt not refer to another man as their 'partner'. If he is a business partner, then dont forget to put business in front of partner.
Ladies didn't used to have to worry about stuff like this, but a while ago I sent one of my really good friends some flowers and a balloon on her first day at a new job, because it had been such a struggle getting hired and her family really needed this blessing, so it was a celebratory thing. Someone asks her who sent it and she says my girlfriend Vanessa. Then she thought about it and had to use the next available conversational opportunity to clarify, LOL!!! Nowadays you can't be too careful. It used to be girlfriends didn't even have to worry about a stigma, but now everything's been perverted and turned into something else.