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Loading ...Cleveland partner registry opens
05.07.2009 2:37pm EDT
(Cleveland, Ohio) Same-sex couples began lining up early at city hall Thursday morning to sign up under Cleveland’s new domestic partner registry.
Outside city hall, there was an air of excitement; inside a group of conservative pastors held a prayer service using the National Day of Prayer to denounce gay unions.City Council approved the registry with a 13-7 vote in December. It was signed into law by Mayor Frank Jackson.
“Let this movement be about building real bridges in Cleveland,” Councilman Joe Cimperman, who filed the legislation, told The Plain Dealer newspaper.
“It’s not about marriage,” Cimperman said. “It’s about recognizing relationships. And this is just the beginning. Come on, it’s 2009! This is the battle of human rights for our generation.”
The registry is mostly symbolic, but for gay and lesbian couples in the city it is a major step forward in a state where same-sex marriage is banned under the constitution.
The registry will be open to all same-sex couples who live in the city. They will have to show they are in an interdependent relationship and live together.
It will not require city government or private businesses to provide spousal benefits to same-sex couples, but it could be used as proof of a relationship at those companies which do offer partner benefits.
The registry is the third of its kind in the state.
In 2003, voters in Cleveland Heights approved a partner registry. A conservative council member sued to overturn the vote but lost in court and was defeated in the nest election.
In 2008 ,Toledo City Council approved a similar registry.
It may be hypocritical of me, but I totally disagree with this.
Written in black and white, there is a constitutional amendment and 2 state statutes against such a union. According to the amendment, any union of two people has to been certified with a marriage license to be legally recognized and supported. The statutes clearly state (twice mind you) that only opposite sex couples can receive a marriage license. The combination of these rulings nullifies any civil union, Common Law marriage, or domestic partnership whether heterosexual or homosexual.
This registry by those standards is completely powerless and unenforceable. No companies have to abide by these unions, no state or city services need to be rendered to such partners, no hospitals need to allow one partner in to the room if the other is hurt. Nothing these two people who sign would be legally binding as their bond isn’t legally binding.
For $55, you and your partner can sign a document and get a registry card saying you signed a paper.
This is just another hidden tax for the city to try and capitalize on the homosexual dollar. This is just a vein attempt to reach out to yet another group of people leaving the city at record rates to try and stop the exodus. And this from a city that is if anything getting MORE homophobic as young professionals (those with the highest support for marriage and equal rights for all) are leaving the city.
As long as those amendments and statutes are in place, these token gestures look more like an insult to me than real movement forward for equality for all tax-paying citizens.
We left Ohio because of the MANY laws against US. I too feel that this is so much hot air and another way to collect gay dollars.
@ dbzeag–you miss the point, and you obviously don’t know about relevant verdicts handed down by the Ohio Supreme Court.
The registry, as stated by Councilman Cimperman (my councilman), is a start. No, Ohio gays can’t get married–but if you work for an employer who provides benefits to same-sex partners when there is documentation establishing a relationship, that can mean a savings of hundreds of dollars a month by having your partner included under your health insurance. That’s only one example.
Several of Ohio’s state universities offer benefits to same-sex partners. You might think this would be illegal under Issue 2, but that’s not what the state Supreme Court said. That question is asked and answered (the suit was brought by a state rep from suburban Cincinnati who has a kid in a state university). The Court has also recognized the validity of custodial agreements between same-sex partners; specifically, such an agreement is viewed as a contract, not something subject to marriage law.
Ohio has to start somewhere to dig out of its legislated and voter-imposed bigotry. This is a local effort, and it will be followed by others. Being dismissive of Cleveland City Council’s creation of the registry doesn’t do a damn thing to repeal that constitutional amendment, but grassroots efforts to remind Ohioans that gay is normal do contribute to repealing discriminatory laws. Not everybody has the luxury of fleeing this poorly-run, economically-imploding state, so better to do something positive than make the status quo even worse than it is.
I would like to know the number of of commited gay and lesbian relationships Ohio has. I think there are couples that would feel a sense of validation to have their relationship registered. I was in a beautiful loving relationship for 9 years that was referred by my ex mother-inlaw as just room mates. I dont know if a registered relationship would have made a difference with her. But If Ohio had this registry in place before the same-sex marrige bill was voted on, maybe it would have made a difference. This may be the opportunity to have a voice in a state that was successful in silencing a minority of its tax paying citizens. It may not be marriage but it’s not “just room mates” either. We need to stand up and be counted
It is just another nail in the ultimate coffin of Homophobia. Going to take time.
And in the end, the homophobic preachers will preach only to the dust in the Pews, and the dust of their departed.
You can never give up the fight. Some things, some places, take more time, but the tipping point is being reached.
Hey Cleveland, travel a few hours, get a real marriage in Ontario. That marriage will count once Ohio begins recognizing marriages, as it will eventually have to.