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Lakewood City Council Monday night approved an ordinance requiring the city provide health benefits to same-sex domestic partners of city employees.

(Bruce Geiselman, NEOMG)

LAKEWOOD, Ohio – City Council Monday night approved an ordinance requiring the city provide health insurance coverage for same-sex domestic partners of city employees.

Benefits also would be extended to children of the partners. The ordinance, approved unanimously, codifies an administrative policy adopted by Mayor Michael Summers in October.

By passing an ordinance requiring the coverage, it ensures the coverage will continue regardless of future changes in the mayor's office, Councilwoman Monique Smith said.

"My main objective was to have some sort of long-term assurance that these benefits will continue to be extended to city employees," Smith said. "If this policy had been left only as an administrative one, there really would be no assurance that the next administration wouldn't undo it."

Two members of Cleveland Stonewall Democrats and state Rep. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, spoke in favor of the legislation and thanked council for supporting it.

"We're grateful," said Kyle Weigand, of Cleveland Stonewall Democrats. "We're proud Lakewoodites, and now we can say we live in a city that is continuously progressive and continues to do the right thing."

Steve Bennett, fellow Stonewall Democrat, said he had been a Lakewood resident on and off for 60 years and was happy to see attitudes change over the years. More than 10 years ago, a similar effort to extend benefits to same-sex domestic partners failed, he said.

"Lakewood has joined its rightful place among progressive communities to come forward and make a statement on equality issues," he said.

Rep. Antonio credited Lakewood with having more progressive attitudes than the state government.

The extension of benefits to same-sex partners will include health and prescription coverage, Family Medical Leave Act and sick leave usage, and funeral leave benefits.

Summers and Smith said they decided to extend the benefits out of a sense of fairness, equity, inclusiveness and economic justice for all city employees. The city joins a growing list of organizations that have adopted similar policies, including the U.S. military and 62 percent of Fortune 500 companies, Smith said.

Lakewood joins a handful of other Ohio cities, including Athens, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights and Columbus, in extending benefits to same-sex domestic partners.