Laguna Beach ‘Partnership’ Law for the Unmarried OKd

Orange County’s first law to grant gay and lesbian couples some of the same rights enjoyed by husbands and wives won final approval from the City Council on Tuesday.

The “domestic partnerships” ordinance was unanimously endorsed after an emotional, half-hour hearing.

Only two people testified against the measure. Both objected to the city’s assertion that the law addresses the changing nature of the American family.

But the measure’s passage brought a loud, sustained applause.

The law allows homosexual and unmarried heterosexual couples to register for a certificate that would give them specific privileges, such as the right to visit their partners in a jail or hospital and to make funeral arrangements for them.

Supporters say the law also will aid seniors who choose to live together without marrying.

The ordinance was proposed by Mayor Robert F. Gentry, who has invited couples from outside the city to register in Laguna Beach and who said he hopes the law will become a model ordinance for the rest of the country.