NC: Asheville Votes 4-2 to Move Ahead on Domestic Partner Benefits

City Council took a key and controversial step Tuesday in extending benefits to the partners of gay municipal employees. The move followed pleas for and against the motion by gay and straight members of the Asheville Police Department, civic leaders, ministers and others. Passions ran high with police at one point removing a speaker from the council chambers, which was filled to capacity with 70 people.

The council voted 4-2 to have city staff report March 9 on how workers' same-sex domestic partners could get the same benefits as heterosexual employees' spouses, including health insurance, bereavement leave and prescription drug coverage. A majority of council members said they expect to vote for a final measure after the report.

Councilman Gordon Smith advanced the proposal, saying the change fit Asheville's tradition of being a friendly and diverse city. “Tonight we can continue that tradition and provide equal compensation for equal work,” Smith said.

Full Story from the Citizen Times
Click here for gay marriage resources in North Carolina.
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NC: Asheville to Consider Health Benefits for Partners of Gay/Lesbian Employees Tonight

A potentially polarizing vote is expected tonight on whether the City Council should extend benefits to same-sex partners of city employees. Councilman Gordon Smith is asking the council to move forward with the idea of giving same-sex domestic partners health insurance, bereavement leave and other benefits.

If a majority votes yes, city staff would come back to the council at a later date with information including estimated costs and who would qualify. A final vote on the measure could then follow. Granting the benefits would “provide equal rights to our employees who are denied the option to marry,” Smith said.

A majority of the seven-member council – whose makeup became more liberal after November's election – have already said they support the idea and would likely vote for the ultimate extension of benefits.

Full Story from the Citizen-Times
Click here for gay marriage resources.
To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook - just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you'll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We're also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.

New Greensboro, NC Billboard Supports Gay Marriage

Forty-three years.  That’s how long it’s been since Ellen Gerber fell in love with the person who would become her partner for life. Forty-three years of love — but no wedding ring. And that’s why they soon will be on a billboard above Battleground Avenue near Cone Boulevard. The billboard, paid for by the Triad Equality Alliance, features pictures of long-term gay and lesbian couples, including Gerber and her partner, Pearl Berlin. It’s part of an effort aimed at achieving what Gerber, 73, describes as her dream. “I want to live long enough to be able to get married in North Carolina,” she said. Full Story from the News-Record: http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/09/27/article/billboard_supports_gay_marriage

Planning to marry your partner? Click here for gay marriage resources in North Carolina.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com with "subscribe blog" as the subject. Or find us on Facebook - just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you'll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We're also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.