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Continued from the cover
n Ashland, if couples decide to file their reg
istration with the city, the information
becomes public record and may be made
available for others to see. 11 they opt against fil
ing the registration, no public record of the
domestic partnership will exist. In either case,
couples are given a signed and notarized Certifi
cate of Domestic Partnership.
According to A nn Seltzer, a spokeswoman
for the city of Ashland, as of Jan. 19, 16 lesbian
and gay couples had registered; six of the couples
elected to not he recorded in the city’s database,
though they still received registry certificates.
According to the Human Rights Campaign,
a national gay rights group, 45 municipalities
and states have established domestic partnership
registries.
Iowa City, Iowa, and Chapel Hill, N.C., are
among the cities that have done so, and Seattle
launched its registry in 1994.
None exist within the Portland metropolitan
area, though there is ongoing discussion about
the possibility of implementing such a plan via
the city of Portland, Multnomah County or
both.
The Focus Group on Family Rights, a project
of Love Makes a Family, met Jan. 18 and in part
pondered the idea of pursuing domestic partner
ship registration within the city of Portland. Ten
people attended the gathering.
“There’s some steam behind this,” noted for
mer state Rep. George Eighmey, the focus
group’s chairman.
But some critics maintain that domestic
partnership registries are empty gestures— pure
symbolism with no legal teeth— and a way for
the government to take gay people’s money and
in return give them an essentially meaningless
piece of paper.
“A stamped seal of nothing!” assessed one
focus group attendee.
Still, while domestic partnership registries
often lack legal authority, proponents maintain
they re a move toward public acknowledgment
and increasing acceptability of gay and lesbian
couples.
I
Said Eighmey: “This is not the end-all. We
intend to proceed to getting full benefits and
rights” afforded to married heterosexual couples.
Eighmey distributed an informal "domestic
partnership registry program proposal” that is
designed to get folks thinking about the con
cept.
It asks, among other points, whether people
feel a registry should be open exclusively to
same-sex couples, as well as “to all citizens of the
world, Oregonians only or U.S. citizens only?”
Should it be limited to people 18 and older or 21
and older? How should concerns about confi
dentiality be addressed, if at all? How about a
dissolution process for couples who may some
day want to deregister their partnership?
Both city of Portland and Multnomah Coun
ty officials are exploring the registry concept,
which could become a reality in the not-too-
distant future.
“W e’re looking into this, though it’s still in
the initial stages,” says Multnomah County
Commissioner Lisa N aito, who adds, “I do
believe if we had a well-thought-out proposal,
we’d have the votes to pass it.”
Maura Roche of Basic Rights Oregon, a
statewide group th at advocates for gay and les
bian rights, says BRO “has been looking at and
discussing this and other issues.... We have
made ourselves available to the mayor’s office.”
If Portland an d /o r M ultnom ah County
moves ahead w ith a registry, it remains to be
seen if there will any conservative backlash.
In Ashland, some opponents did speak out
against the registry during debate prior to the
City C ouncil’s vote.
Since then, however, things have seemed
quiet.
“People have been very appreciative of the
program,” Seltzer says.
■ How do you feel about a domestic partnership
registry? Would you and your partner sign up!
Should it be open to heterosexual couples who choose
not to marry! Is it a waste of time and money! Is it
a building block toward full equality! Submit a letter
to the editor at www.justout.com; mail it to
justout@justout.com or P.O. Box 14400, Portland,
O R 97293-0400. Just O u t’s fax number is
(503) 236-1257.
For questions or comments about Just Outs
Northwest, national or world news coverage, please
send an e-mail to News Editor IN G A SORENSEN at
mga@justout .com.
For more information call Aryne at All Women’s Health Services, (503) 233-0808
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An unofficial
registry
proposal and
tool to generate
community
feedback
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