Seattle extends equal benefits to "married" homosexuals
A month after Mayor Greg Nickels issued an executive order recognizing same-sex marriages, the Seattle City Council yesterday unanimously approved legislation that would give married gays and lesbians on the city's payroll the same benefits that opposite-sex couples now receive.
While council members heralded the move as "historic," the change to city ordinance is really more symbolic than it is substantial.
Seattle has been offering domestic-partner benefits to same-sex couples since 1989. The value of those benefits is subject to federal taxes, which can exceed $500 a year. Yesterday's action doesn't change any of that.