My friend takes this one step further and refers completely accurately to his girlfriend Danielle as "My partner, Dan"

Also i hate to say it but for some people, boyfriend/girlfriend feels a bit juvenile, say, if youre over 30, or perhaps youve been with someone for a very long time and are committed life partners but not married for whatever reason. Maybe husband/wife feels a little watered down to you and you want to establish the equal nature of your relationship.

Partner is a wonderful word and it should be normalized.