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City Hall Hosts Ceremony with Mayor Bill Campbell Georgia's Reluctant Insurance Commissioner Scolded |
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Compiled By GayToday
A "Just Registered" cake-cutting ceremony will be hosted by Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, city officials, activists and Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund to celebrate the domestic-partner breakthrough with newly registered couples. "After years of being held up by legal wrangling, the City can finally move forward with its plan to provide equal benefits to its employees. This day is especially gratifying for lesbian and gay municipal workers who won sorely needed protections and security for our families and loved ones," said Councilmember Cathy Woolard.
Judge Shoob found Oxendine's actions to be "outside the scope of his statutory authority" and "an abuse of his discretion." Shoob's ruling lifted the statewide ban on domestic partner insurance coverage, allowing insurers to begin offering such policies to any workers in Georgia. Jane Morrison, regional director of Lambda's Southern Regional Office in Atlanta said, "The city's domestic partner registry officially acknowledges the reality of lesbian and gay committed relationships and sends a strong message to the public that our families deserve protection and respect." "But domestic partner registration does not secure the full range of rights and responsibilities that come only with civil marriage. We hope that this day will inspire more people to celebrate our commitment and love and join our struggle for full equality," Morrison added. At the ceremony, Lambda will encourage everyone —- especially lesbian, gay and other couples who are not subject to the rule of civil marriage —- to prepare health care powers of attorney, wills, and other legal documents that aim to insure that a person's wishes are followed in times of crisis. These documents can be downloaded from Lambda's Web site www.lambdalegal.org and will be made available to the newly registered couples |
