Busy First Day For Cleveland’s Gay Partner Registry

Cleveland city leaders offered a warm welcome to gay and lesbian couples arriving at City Hall to take advantage of a new domestic partner registry taking effect Thursday.
Gay advocates celebrated with a rally on the steps of City Hall. Six council members attended the rally, including Council Members Jay Westbrook, Joe Cimperman and Joe Santiago.
Registering with the city is mostly a symbolic act. Registered couples receive no guaranteed benefits or protections; any benefits gained would be strictly voluntary.
The registry’s shortcomings, however, appeared to be lost on the steady stream of couples lining up for it. Sixty-four couples, mostly gay or lesbian, had paid the $55 registration fee by 2PM, openly gay Councilman Santiago told On Top Magazine.
Opposition to the registry appears to have diminished since ministers called for its repeal in January. A group of mostly black ministers lead by Rev. C. Jay Matthews failed in an effort to stop the registry from taking effect. And while the group has vowed to place a referendum on the November ballot, it appears they missed a March deadline. See:

Busy First Day For Cleveland’s Gay Partner Registry On Top Magazine
Cleveland begins domestic partner registry for gay and other … Cleveland News – Fox 8
Cleveland’s Domestic Partner Registry a powerful symbol — Regina … The Plain Dealer – cleveland.com
Historic Day As Cleveland Opens Domestic Partner Registry Today E-Portage

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No ballot question on Cleveland’s DP registry after signature drive falls short

A group of local pastors has come up short in an effort to trigger a referendum vote on Cleveland’s domestic-partner registry.

The group, led by the Rev. C. Jay Matthews of Mount Sinai Baptist Church, needed to submit about 11,000 signatures by Wednesday to put the issue to a citywide vote.

Matthews said only a few thousand signatures were collected. He blamed the failure on a narrow time frame over the holidays.

See No ballot question on Cleveland’s DP registry after signature drive falls short
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) (1/8)

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Ministers Oppose Cleveland’s Gay Partner Registry

A group of ministers is leading an effort to repeal Cleveland’s recently passed gay domestic partner registry, reports Cleveland daily The Plain Dealer.

United Pastors in Mission, a group of mostly black ministers led by president Rev. C. Jay Matthews of the Mount Sinai Baptist Church and director Rev. Marvin McMickle of Antioch Baptist Church, made the announcement at a Tuesday press conference at Matthews’ church.

Cleveland city leaders approved the registry at a Monday December 8 session by a 13-7 vote.

All of the seven lawmakers who voted against the measure were black. Ward 1 councilman Terrell Pruitt admitted he was pressured to vote against the registry: “I couldn’t risk having the ministers, who don’t have all the facts, on the pulpits preaching against me on Sunday.”

Cleveland’s domestic partner registry allows gay and straight couples to seek recognition of their union from the city. Ohio passed one of the toughest gay marriage bans in the country four years ago. To ensure that the registry does not run afoul of the state’s prohibition it lacks any force of law and guarantees no protections whatsoever. Any benefits given to couples would be strictly voluntary.

Over 70 cities and counties nationwide offer gay domestic partner registries. Lawmakers in the Mormon stronghold of Utah will take up the question next month.

See Ministers Oppose Cleveland’s Gay Partner Registry
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