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Board Passes Stroger’s Revisions in Domestic Partnership Registry Ordinance

Effort preserves rights for LGBT couples in Cook County who marry legally in other states, but could lose local benefits without revisions.

CHICAGO – On Tuesday, July 1, the Board of Commissioners voted to revise the County’s Domestic Partnership Registry Ordinance to preserve rights and benefits for LGBT couples in Cook County who may choose to marry out of state where same-sex marriage is now legal. Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley worked closely with President Stroger in seeking the revisions from the larger Board.

After the Board vote, President Stroger joined Commissioner Quigley, Kelly Cassidy of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Marynic Foster, acting Director of the Cook County Commission on Human Rights, and Jim Madigan of the Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund at a press conference to discuss the initiative.

“This amendment recognizes employees who are in committed relationships and who share common households, and ensures that constituents and employees who take the steps to marry in other jurisdictions do not lose their benefits,” said President Stroger.

Under the old language of the Domestic Partnership Registry Ordinance, benefits were extended only to ‘unmarried’ same-sex partners who sought to be recognized as ‘registered domestic partners’ as a way to accrue benefits that include health insurance for the partners of Cook County workers. The language was originally crafted as a way to provide some local recognition and benefits for couples who were refused the right to marry legally in states that include Illinois – and therefore denied the spousal benefits currently afforded heterosexual couples.

President Stroger backed the revisions to ensure that LGBT couples that now choose to legally marry in California – a state that recently legalized gay marriage -- would not lose benefits provided through Cook County’s Domestic Partnership Registry Ordinance. The administration structured the revisions to protect the rights of LGBT couples in any state or area that may legalize same-sex marriage in
the future.

President Stroger supported the initiative with Commissioner Mike Quigley, also a supporter of the original ordinance that was passed under the administration of late County Board President John Stroger. John Stroger welcomed the initiative as an expression of the rights and dignity of all County residents – including LGBT people.

“The issue of recognition and respect for the rights of LGBT people in domestic partnerships is a human rights and a civil rights issue that simply must be embraced,” said President Stroger. “If we truly believe in the importance of family, then we must do what we can to secure the rights and well-being of all families, including those of our LGBT residents.”