From Domestic Partnership to Marriage

In August 1979, gay rights activist Tom Brougham proposed a new category of relationship called “domestic partnership” to address the inequality of job benefits only extending to heterosexually married couples. Tom and a group of dedicated LGBTQ activists, which included my husband Leland Traiman, brought the concept of Domestic Partnership to the Berkeley School Board, then to Berkeley City employees. From Berkeley, the idea spread to San Francisco, then to corporations, then nationally, then internationally. Civil Union is another term for the same idea.

Registering for a domestic partnership was a way of documenting a relationship when same-sex marriage was forbidden. That document could then be used to qualify for corporate or municipal spousal benefits. This is a very brief timeline of domestic partnership adoption.

1979 – Tom Brougham and Barry Warren conceptualize DP
1982 – Village Voice become the first private company to offer DP Benefits to employees
Aug 1984 – Berkeley Education Board adopts DP for employees
Dec 1984 – Berkeley City Hall adopts DP for city employees
Nov 1985 – West Hollywood created the first local Domestic Partner Registry
1989 – San Francisco, repealed DP, then reinstated 1990
Oct 11, 1991 – Berkeley opened the first world-wide Domestic Partner Registry. Anyone in the world could pay a $30 fee to get a certificate to show employers.
1992 – Lotus Development Corp becomes the first publicly-traded company with DP Benefits
1995 – Vermont is the first state to offer DP benefits to employees
1997 – Hawaii is the first state to offer DP benefits state-wide
1999 – California passed DP that went into effect Jan 1, 2000
2005 – California passed Comprehensive DP that gave all rights and privileges as married people.

In 2012, Jim Chambers’ released a documentary capturing interviews from that first grassroots LGBTQ group in Berkeley, Ca. This is a vital documentary for LGBTQ historians.

Genealogists may have access to Domestic Partner registries.

California State Domestic Partnership Registry is available to the public
The City of San Francisco Domestic Partnership Registry is available to the public.
The City of Berkeley Domestic Partnership Registry is private and not available to the public.
Civil Partnership Certificate – General Records Office (GRO), UK

Check with local municipalities or state governments on their privacy policies around DP records. Domestic Partnerships can also be ended by filing termination paperwork. These records may also be available to the public.

Adoption of Domestic Partnerships around the globe softened world opinion toward acceptance of same-sex marriage.

This is a recent world map from Wikipedia commons showing countries that allow Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnerships, and Civil Unions today. This map is frequently updated.