US: Mayor in Tennessee offers support for health benefits for gay partners of city employees
The mayor of a city in the US state of Tennessee has thrown his support behind a push towards providing equal health benefits for same-sex partners of city employees.
Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke, offered his support to the idea, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.
Despite the state not legally recognising same-sex marriages, the measure would extend the benefits to same-sex couples in the city, which has a population of around 167,000, and is the fourth largest in the state.
The city of Collegedale, which has a population of about 6,500 adopted the measure. The City Commission members voted 4-1 in favour of the legislation, which allows equal benefits to the domestic partners of employees of the city.
Similar measures are underway in Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis, the Free Press reported.
