Duluth to consider domestic partner registry

Gay Duluth city council member Jeff Anderson is introducing an ordinance that would create a domestic partner registry this year. The registry would allow employers who wish to offer same-sex partner benefits a legal document to work from, much like Minneapolis’.

In a campaign interview with the Minnesota Independent, Anderson said that such a registry would be priority for him. “Because same-sex couples have little access to legal recognition of their relationship and their families, a domestic partner registry can be used to assist employers who wish to make domestic partner benefits available to their employees,” he said in 2007.

Registry applicants would affirm that they are “jointly responsible to each other for the necessities of life” and “are as committed to one another as married persons are traditionally committed.”

Anderson told the Duluth News Tribune that would not impose anything on people or businesses that don’t want to participate.

“This does not create special rights for same sex couples,” Anderson said. “The proposed registry places no requirement on any business, or on the city itself, to offer domestic partnership benefits.”

In fact, Duluth is not able to offer domestic partner benefits because state law forbids it. Legislators have twice passed legislation to allow municipalities to offer such benefits only to be vetoed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.