Seattle, Washington -
Seattle mayor Greg Nickels will sign an executive order today giving benefits to the married spouses of city employees and he will propose a council motion to protect the rights of all Seattle same-sex married couples no matter where they were married.
Nickels made the announcement on Sunday. "The basic message is one of fairness, and that is that people who are willing to make a commitment to one another, who love one another, and who are willing to take on the responsibilities of marriage ought to be able to, regardless of their gender," Nickels told the AP.
The mayor also said he wished he could follow the lead of San Francisco, Portland, and New Paltz, New York by allowing same-sex marriages in Washington's biggest city, but the state has a so-called defense of marriage act.
The city ordinance Nickels is proposing would define "spouse" as a husband or wife in a same-sex or opposite-sex marriage.
If approved, it would protect gay married couples from discrimination in employment, housing, parks and other city facilities. It also would bar contractors doing business with the city from discriminating against people based on their marital status.
Seattle has offered domestic partnership benefits to its employees since 1989, but the process requires workers to fill out extensive paperwork. Under the new order, married same-sex couples will be able to skip that process, Nickels said.
©365Gay.com® 2004
Nickels made the announcement on Sunday. "The basic message is one of fairness, and that is that people who are willing to make a commitment to one another, who love one another, and who are willing to take on the responsibilities of marriage ought to be able to, regardless of their gender," Nickels told the AP.
The mayor also said he wished he could follow the lead of San Francisco, Portland, and New Paltz, New York by allowing same-sex marriages in Washington's biggest city, but the state has a so-called defense of marriage act.
The city ordinance Nickels is proposing would define "spouse" as a husband or wife in a same-sex or opposite-sex marriage.
If approved, it would protect gay married couples from discrimination in employment, housing, parks and other city facilities. It also would bar contractors doing business with the city from discriminating against people based on their marital status.
Seattle has offered domestic partnership benefits to its employees since 1989, but the process requires workers to fill out extensive paperwork. Under the new order, married same-sex couples will be able to skip that process, Nickels said.
©365Gay.com® 2004
This article originally appeared on 365gay.com. Republished with permission.
