Judge upholds Cleveland Heights' gay registry

An opponent of the registry vowed to keep fighting it.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- A judge has upheld the nation's first voter-approved domestic partner registry, but the court challenge by an opponent will continue.
The Rev. Jimmie Hicks Jr., a minister and Cleveland Heights councilman who led the opposition to the registry, said he would appeal Friday's ruling by Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Robert T. Glickman upholding the registry.
No matter who won at the trial level, "We knew this would only be round one," Hicks said.
The judge, in a five-page decision, said Cleveland Heights had the authority to create the registry.
Registrations
Eighty-five couples have registered since the city began accepting applications on Jan. 26. Registrations continued during the court challenge.
The initiative creating the registry passed with 55 percent of the vote last November in the community of 50,000. The group that had backed the referendum applauded the judge's ruling.
"We're certainly not surprised. We thought Rev. Hicks' suit was meritless from the start," said David Caldwell, a spokesman for Heights Families for Equality.
Hicks had argued that Cleveland Heights shouldn't legitimize relationships of same-sex couples.
The registry's recognition is not binding on courts, governments or employers. But supporters said it would make it easier for couples to share employment benefits, inherit property or get hospital visiting rights.
The Cleveland Heights initiative was the first through a ballot issue, according to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
Partners, under penalty of perjury, must specify that they share a common residence, have a "relationship of mutual interdependence," are at least 18 years old and don't have a married, civil union or domestic partnership relationship with a third person.
Registration costs $50 for residents and $65 for nonresidents. To cancel the registration, couples must send a certified letter to the city.