Some lawmakers are pushing legislation that proposes domestic partnerships in Wyoming.
Representative Cathy Connolly (D-Albany County) is a co-sponsor of the legislation that would give gay couples the same rights as spouses in Wyoming.
Representative Connolly says if the bill is passed, couples would be able to register at county clerks offices to become official domestic partners. "What it does is allow for any place in our statutes where the term ‘spouse' is used, that members of the domestic partnership have equal rights, duties, benefits and obligations as spouses."
The bill would also apply to unmarried heterosexual couples.
Efforts to legalize same-sex marriage and civil unions have failed in the Wyoming legislature in the past. Still, Connolly says she thinks this bill will gain more traction because it's not trying to redefine marriage. She says if it passes, it will be an important step for gay couples.
