DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS AT RISK: From the Akron Beacon Journal

...Phil Burress, organizer of the Ohio campaign to pass the marriage amendment, said the ballot language is intentionally broad.''What good does it do if you protect the word 'marriage' but you let couples or three or more people come together and get all of the benefits?'' said the head of the Citizens for Community Values in Cincinnati. ''The term 'domestic partner' is marriage by a different name.'' ...

Burress, the head of the anti-gay marriage campaign, says the amendment wouldn't affect private companies' plans at all.

But Alan Melamed, who heads the opposition, Ohioans Protecting the Constitution, said the amendment would, indirectly, because employees wouldn't be able to turn to courts if the benefits arrangement somehow went awry. Courts wouldn't be able to acknowledge that the arrangement existed, in Melamed's eyes.

Regardless, both Melamed and Burress agree that the amendment would affect domestic-partner benefits in the public sector.

In Ohio, perhaps no more than 200 workers and their same-sex partners are getting the benefits. Public entities -- largely, universities -- say they're being driven to offer domestic partner benefits because of market forces.

''We knew we were losing people,'' said Miami University spokesman Richard Little. ''I can think of one very good marketing professor who left because he had another job offer. He wanted domestic partner benefits, but we didn't offer them. We hear it quite often.'' ...

Meanwhile, the oldest benefit program for domestic partnerships has come up dry.

Cleveland Heights hasn't had one taker since it began to offer the first -- and only -- municipal program in Ohio. The city also offers the nation's first registry for same-sex couples this year, but that confers no benefits.

Domestic partner benefits are for the partners of gay or lesbian employees and, in some cases, for unmarried heterosexuals in committed relationships. While the four Ohio universities are only offering the benefits to same-sex partners, Ohioans Protecting the Constitution points out that Issue 1, if passed, could affect heterosexual couples as well who are not married.

Despite the fact that so few people are covered under the public policies, there's bound to be plenty of court action if the amendment passes, observers said.

Rick Farmer, an associate professor of political science at the University of Akron, said universities would no doubt argue that they wouldn't be affected by the amendment.

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posted by Eve at 3:08 PM VOTE

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