Gay marriage in Minnesota might be on
the back burner for now, but one city is moving forward with plans to
recognize gay unions.
According
to the St. Louis Park Patch, the city of St. Louis Park is
preparing a new ordinance that would recognize gay and lesbian
couples as domestic partners.
Councilors unanimously voted in favor
of the ordinance on Monday. A second reading will take place in two
weeks and, if approved, the law would go into effect in February.
Much
like Cleveland's registry, the status offers gay couples no
rights or benefits whatsoever, but could be used to access workplace
domestic partner benefits.
“I would say this is a very powerful,
symbolic move council has made,” Curt Peterson, a 20-year resident
of the city who attended the meeting with his partner of eight years,
Mike Skarp, said. “Real change takes place in small communities.”
St. Louis Park joins seven other
communities in the state offering such a registry.
Plans
to make Minnesota the next state to legalize gay marriage went up in
smoke on November 2 as Republicans gained control of both houses.
Governor Mark Dayton, a Democrat who supports marriage equality,
narrowly won election. Socially conservative groups say they'll
lobby for a constitutional amendment that bans gay marriage.