Politics & Government
Support or Symbol? Opinions About University City Domestic Partner Registry
U City Mayor Shelley Welsch said the registry shows support for all its citizens; UMSL professor says it's symbolic.
Three couples registered with newly . All three were same-sex partners, although the registry also applies to unmarried, heterosexual couples.
“I definitely see this an important step for University City,” said Mayor Shelley Welsch.
Welsch said city staff members can receive benefits for domestic partners, and the municipal housing ordinance guarantees freedom from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
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“But I think it’s important that University City be on record as supporting all types of relationships and all types of families,” she said.
In Missouri, Jackson County and the cities of St. Louis, Kansas City, and Columbia are the only other local governments to adopt a domestic partner ordinance.
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"I think it's a great statement on behalf of the city to recognize lesbian and gay families," said Margaret Johnson, of University City.
Johnson and her partner of 25 years, Marcia Levin, were the second couple to register. Johnson worked with Welsch to help organize the ordinance's passage.
"It's a great move forward for the recognition of lesbians and gays, but personally, I don't need a piece of paper to validate my relationship," Levin said.
Terry Jones, a political science professor at the University of Missouri–St .Louis, said recognizing domestic partnerships is becoming somewhat of a trend nationwide, but not in Missouri.
“Several states are moving towards recognizing domestic partnerships and having real, legal consequences as a result of that,” Jones said.
However, that is not the case in Missouri, where the Legislature easily passed state constitutional amendment in 2004 that defined marriage as being between a man and a woman.
“This is where a significant majority of Missourians are at on that issue,” Jones said.
As a result, he said the University City ordinance is largely a symbolic gesture.
“State law trumps any local or municipal ordinance,” Jones said. “The ability of any municipality to affect any meaning, lasting legislation with any teeth to it is very limited.”