The Vital Voice reports that the council unanimously passed bills 2672 and 2677. The bills create a domestic partnership registry and criminalize discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity.
Domestic partnership registries are not, of course, marriages. But they are a way for two people in a committed relationship to make their partnership official. And aside from simply putting a partnership on the record, the registry could have other uses: For example, employers could use it as a criterion for extending benefits to partnerships.
The city's non-discrimination ordinance is a big step. The state of Missouri has no such protections on the books. That means that an LGBT person can get fired or denied housing in much of the state simply for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. It's legal, and they have no recourse. In cities or municipalities with non-discrimination laws -- like St. Louis, Kansas City, University City and now Olivette -- it's illegal to do that.
People can begin registering domestic partnerships in Olivette in September. Discrimination against LGBT folks is illegal as of the moment the bill passed.
Three cheers for Olivette. Who's next??
