NOT MARRIAGE, BUT GAY COUPLES BENEFIT FROM REGISTRIES: From the Associated Press

...While the fast-spreading gay marriage debate has agitated communities from Portland, Ore. to New Paltz, N.Y., many places have quietly taken baby steps toward expanding gay rights in recent years through so-called domestic registries.

Domestic registries allow unmarried couples in long-term relationships to receive a certificate affirming they live together. A number of cities, towns and counties offer them to straight or gay couples who can offer proof they live under the same roof.

The certificates amount to far less than a state-sanctioned marriage, are typically not binding on courts, governments or employers and they don't automatically confer benefits. But gay rights advocates say they can be useful documents nonetheless.

Employers will use the documents to determine who is eligible for domestic partner benefits, for example, and funeral homes will sometimes accept them to allow surviving partners to make burial arrangements. Westchester County entitles registered partners to spouse-like visitation rights at area hospitals and jails.

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posted by Eve at 4:54 PM | link

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