Same-Sex Rights Bill Intended for Visitors
The City Council approved a bill extending domestic partnership rights to legally sanctioned same-sex couples visiting New York.
Supporters said the bill was needed because such couples are sometimes denied rights taken for granted by gays and lesbians in the city, such as hospital visitation.
The law is intended to cover gays from cities such as Los Angeles that have domestic partnership laws and nations such as Holland that recognize gay marriages.
Visitors would have to show a certificate indicating they have legally registered their relationship.
The bill must be signed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; a spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment on his stance on the bill.
The measure passed 34-7. Brooklyn Democrat Simcha Felder was among the dissenters. “I believe that a broad spectrum of New Yorkers would find this legislation to be morally offensive,” Felder said.
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