West Hollywood, California, has approved a local ordinance allowing polyamorous throuples, foursomes and other multi-partner groups to register as domestic partners with the city.
The measure, introduced by Mayor John Heilman and approved unanimously by the five-member City Council, lets three or more adults file a statement with the city clerk if the relationship is consensual and the partners are not related by blood, according to The Washington Times. Registered partners gain limited local rights such as hospital and jail visitation and certain tenant protections, but the ordinance does not create a marriage or a state domestic partnership under California or federal law.
This law is just the beginning, attorney and activist Christina Fialho told the Los Angeles Times, framing the registry as a foundation for broader recognition. People who live outside West Hollywood can also register, a feature advocates say could help with school pickups, hospital visits and similar paperwork even where other cities do not grant the same rights.
The registry is set to take effect Dec. 2, NBC Los Angeles reported. Massachusetts cities including Somerville and Cambridge earlier created similar multi-partner registries, and other West Coast cities have advanced related antidiscrimination or partnership measures in recent years.
To qualify, partners must meet basic conditions including mutual consent and shared responsibility for one anothers welfare under the citys new multi-partner domestic relationship rules. The Washington Times noted the ordinance stops short of equating these arrangements with marriage, withholding the full legal benefits afforded to married couples and conventional domestic partnerships.
Login