Annapolis extends benefits to same-sex couples

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Mayor Josh Cohen has extended employment benefits to the same-sex partners of Annapolis’ workers, giving them access to medical plans.

Under the new city rules taking effect July 1, the same-sex partners of city employees can enroll in city-offered medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits. Those benefits do not extend to unmarried heterosexual couples.

Only same-sex partners are eligible for the domestic partnership benefit option because they don’t have the ability to marry in Maryland.

The city’s policy comes months after state employees and retirees and their same-sex domestic partners were allowed to enroll in benefit programs.

“This is very exciting and it’s a move in the right direction towards equality in Maryland. And it’s appropriate because it’s the seat of our government,” said Morgan Meneses-Sheets, executive director for Equality Maryland, an advocacy group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Marylanders.

Cohen said he first tried to change the city’s policy around seven years ago, while on the City Council. At the time, the idea of extending benefits to same-sex couples was relatively new for local government and there wasn’t much political support. Since then public sentiment has changed, Cohen said.

“It was newsworthy seven years ago, but it’s almost not newsworthy today, which is a good thing,” Cohen said.

Since Cohen started working on changing the policy, the city has become more comfortable with same-sex couples, said Scott Bowling, a former candidate for the City Council who is gay.

“The perception in Annapolis has changed dramatically. I ran a campaign for City Council as an openly gay candidate and until the very end it was not an issue. That wouldn’t have been the same years ago,” he said.

In the days before the general election, Bowling and then-Alderman Sam Shropshire were both attacked in a homophobic and racist flier that was mailed to city voters.

Cohen said he began work on extending benefits shortly after taking office in December, and city employees and their same-sex partners were able to sign up during the open enrollment period that ended earlier this month. One couple signed up. The costs of insuring a same-sex couple are the same as insuring an opposite-sex couple.

“The fears that this would somehow be unaffordable prove to be unfounded. There’s no different cost to the city than ... (for) an opposite-sex marriage. But I don’t ever think it was the cost that was truly the obstacle,” Cohen said.

The mayor said he expects the new policy to make the city more competitive when trying to attract talented employees.

“For the mayor of the capital city to come forward with this, I think will be a big boost across the state for workforce equality,” Bowling said.

The change in the city comes after same-sex couples who work for the state and other Maryland municipalities were offered employment benefits.

In May, Maryland extended its benefits policy to allow same-sex spouses who were legally married in another jurisdiction to sign up for benefits.

That policy shift came after state Attorney General Douglas Gansler released an advisory opinion in February that said the state may recognize same-sex marriages from other places.

Montgomery County, Rockville, Gaithersburg and other Maryland jurisdictions also offer same-sex benefits.

Meneses-Sheets said that other jurisdictions, including Baltimore, have nondiscrimination policies that prevent the city from doing business with companies that discriminate against same-sex couples.