Utah has a 6 month old mutual commitment registry, which, if taken advantage of, should permit non-married couples (including same sex partnerships) the opportunities afforded of married couples. I’ve pasted a description of the registry at the end of this post.
Today’s Salt Lake Tribune’s article on the registry highlights a gay couple and their impressions so far of the registry. Mostly, it seems, it’s more of a symbolic gesture at this point. No concrete benefits have been realized yet by couples and no employer has yet to offer domestic partner benefits
Still, for Utah, this is progress.
What is the mutual-commitment registry?
Unmarried couples, both same sex and opposite sex, and other pairs of financially interdependent adults, such as person who cares for an aging parent, can sign up. The voluntary registry allows Salt Lake City to recognize nonmarried relationships of mutual commitment and support.
What are the benefits?
Employers who offer domestic-partner benefits can use the registry to determine a worker’s eligibility. Registered individuals will be allowed visitation rights at city hospitals and access to family discounts offered at city-owned facilities, such as recreation centers.
What do residents have to do to enroll?
– Sign a statement, provided by the city recorder, declaring you are “solely and mutually committed to each other.” – Document that both partners are at least 18 years old, unmarried and share a primary address in Salt Lake City. – Pay a $25 fee. – Agree to terminate the mutual-commitment contract if the relationship ends. – Prove financial interdependence by providing three supporting documents.
Source: Salt Lake City Recorder’s Office
Dee's 'Dotes~Anecdotes of a Green Activist 