The mass shooting at Pulse nightclub has prompted Osceola County leaders to look into the issue of a domestic partnership registry. With it, gay and straight couples would be better able to care for their loved ones without needing to get married.
- Domestic partner registry planned for Osceola County
- Benefits both gay and straight couples
- Item will be on next month's county meeting agenda
Osceola County Commissioner Cheryl Grieb and Patti Daugherty were the first gay couple to get married in the county, in January 2015. That means they can legally take each other into consideration for all crucial decisions.
“I can’t imagine being with someone in a committed relationship, living together and being together for several years that, if one was in the hospital and the other partner not being able to visit them? I would go ballistic,” said Grieb.
But couples who choose not to marry, gay or straight may not have those rights -- like making medical decisions on their partner’s behalf, visitation rights in jail or partaking in their child’s education.
Commissioners are working to draft an ordinance that would allow people to join a domestic partner registry, similar to Orlando’s which was implemented in 2012. “Not everybody wants to get married, it’s not for everybody. So this protects gay and straight people,” said Craig Holland, the director for Development Services in Kissimmee.
Kissimmee City Commissioner Jose Alvarez is working with Grieb. He wants to establish a domestic partnership registry at the city level.
“We saw tragedy, we saw chaos. We saw something that came and visited us that is unimaginable, that we've gone through it. But at least this can be something, if anything, that can come out that is positive, that is good,” Alvarez said.
If the ordinance passes, Grieb believes the extra benefits are a worthwhile trip to the clerk’s office. The cities of Kissimmee and St. Cloud can choose to opt out of this countywide ordinance. This item will be up for discussion in next month's agenda.