In a vote that would have been inconceivable just eight years ago, the Hillsborough County Commission on Wednesday took an important step for equality by agreeing to draft a domestic partner registry. Like society at large, the commission's members have evolved and now see the wisdom and fairness in offering domestic partners the same rights and protections as their heterosexual married counterparts. Finally, Hillsborough County is moving in the right direction.
Wednesday's unanimous decision was a sharp reversal from just 20 months ago, when commissioners voted 4-3 to block such a registry. In hindsight, that vote may one day be viewed as the county's last gasp of a long-held prejudice. While the region's largest municipalities, including Tampa and St. Petersburg, welcomed opportunities to extend rights to the LGBT community, Hillsborough was stuck in the past. In 2005, Hillsborough commissioners voted to ban recognition of gay pride events. Then in January 2013, four of the commission's Republican members voted against the domestic partner registry. One commissioner cited religion and historical precedent for torpedoing the registry, which would have provided same-sex couples or heterosexual unmarried partners with the ability to make health decisions for a partner who was ill or dying. The registry also would have extended visitation rights in hospitals and given partners the ability to make funeral arrangements.
Criticism was swift. Within six months, the commission had begun to reverse course. Embracing the request of the commission's first openly gay member, Kevin Beckner, commissioners voted to lift the ban on recognizing gay pride events. Then two months ago, commissioners cast a unanimous vote to create a law banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Changing societal attitudes have helped usher in significant protections for the LGBT community at the federal level and in some states, where bans against same-sex marriage are falling. In Hillsborough, pressure from the business community also helped reverse the commission's intolerant policies, saying they made it difficult to recruit. Recently, Tampa General Hospital's chief executive wrote a letter to commissioners in support of the domestic partner registry. It also doesn't hurt that it's an election year in which two of the commissioners who opposed the registry in 2013 find themselves looking for votes.
Regardless of the motivation, Hillsborough's commissioners have finally caught up with constituents who have long been more tolerant and open-minded than their leaders. Commissioners should pass the domestic registry ordinance once it is drafted and look for other ways to ensure one of the nation's promises: That each individual is equally protected under the law.