Columbus to offer Domestic Partner Registry

The mayor of Columbus and several city council members want to create a domestic partner registry for Ohio's capital city.Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman announced the proposal on Friday along with city councilmen Andrew Ginther and Zach Klein. Ginther touted the legislation as good for the city's business climate. Their plan would allow unmarried couples regardless of sexual orientation to voluntarily register their relationship with the city clerk's office for a fee. The couples would not have to be residents of Columbus. The registry gives people in domestic partnerships a way of officially declaring their relationships as proof for health insurance and other benefits typically reserved for married couples. Columbus offers domestic partner benefits to its city employees, and Several cities and large college towns in Ohio already have such registries,   including Cleveland, Toledo and Cleveland Heights. The councilmen supporting the registry hope to
pass an ordinance creating it before the council's August recess.