CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — The nation's first domestic partner registry created directly by voters, giving gay and straight unmarried couples the right to officially register as partners, opened for business Monday.
The registry is not marriage and is not binding on courts, governments or companies. But supporters hope it will make it easier for couples to eventually share employment benefits, inherit property or get hospital visiting rights. At the same time, opponents fear it could one day undermine marriage.
"This is definitely significant for us," Mayor Ed Kelley said.
Dawn Fasick, 37, and her girlfriend, Deborah Thompson, 45, showed up at City Hall at 11:30 p.m. Sunday and spent the night in their heated Ford Explorer sharing coffee so that they could be among the first to register.
"I wanted to be able to express my love to my girlfriend and express my joy to everyone who is going to be here," said Fasick.
The two walked hand-in-hand into City Hall two hours before the registry opened and got a ticket stub making them third in line. The first spots were reserved for the people who led the registry vote effort.
"It gives us a step forward," Thompson said. "It gives us a way to show to the world and families that we're committed, we're a couple."
An estimated 100 unmarried couples were expected to show up at City Hall on opening day, Kelley said earlier.
The registration is open to all unmarried couples. It costs $50 for residents and $65 for nonresidents. Eventually, the city will offer online and mail registration, the mayor said.
Domestic registries have been created by councils and state legislatures elsewhere. The Vermont Legislature passed the nation's first law creating civil unions for same-sex couples, and California created a statewide registry for same-sex couples and gave them some of the legal standing of married spouses.
The Cleveland Heights initiative — passed with 55 percent of the vote in November in the suburb of 50,000 — was the first through a ballot issue, according to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
Opponents of the measure, including the Cleveland Heights Family First Initiative, say it's wrong for a city to legitimize a lifestyle many disagree with. A group statement said the registry attempts to redefine marriage and that "will have very serious negative effects on our society as a whole."
Kelley said the city already weathered similar controversy two years ago when it adopted Ohio's first municipal ordinance giving health benefits to same-sex partners of city employees.
"In Cleveland Heights not only do we have racial diversity, we have religious diversity, we have this diversity. I'm very proud of that," Kelley said.
Located about 10 miles southeast of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights is home to middle- and upper-class professionals and also boasts a racially diverse population, artsy cafes, family-owned restaurants and historic homes.
Community services director Susanna Niermann O'Neil said the registration process will take about 10 minutes for each couple, many of whom are planning to take photos or have family attend.
"We just want it to be nice," she said.
The city will file copies of applications and mail certificates. The couples will take home notarized originals. To cancel the registration, couples must send a certified letter to the city.
The opening of the Cleveland Heights registry comes less than a week after the Ohio Legislature passed one of the country's most-far reaching bans on gay marriage. The bill exempts municipalities, so it shouldn't have an effect on the registry.