Arizona: Bisbee poised to approve civil unions

From the LA Times:

Tuesday evening, Bisbee City Council members voted to allow the next best thing to gay marriage. In a first reading of an ordinance, adding a chapter to its city charter, they cleared the way for civil unions. The vote by the seven-member council was unanimous, making it likely to pass on a final vote scheduled in two weeks.

 “I think it’s time,” Mayor Adriana Zavala Badal said of the proposal. “We’ve been working on this as a country for a long time.”

The ordinance would only affect those living within the city limits of Bisbee which has a population of about 5,600.

The Arizona state constitution forbids same-sex marriage, but mentions nothing about civil unions.

It's uncertain if the state will challenge the ordinance or if Bisbee officials even have jurisdiction to pass the measure.

Stay tuned :)