Phoenix mayor praises domestic partner benefits

Phoenix mayor Greg Stanton issued a statement Monday praising domestic partner benefits in the state's capital city in response to Gov. Jan Brewer's appeal to the Supreme Court to strip those benefits from same-sex couples.

Stanton issued the following statement in a press release:

“At the City of Phoenix, we recognize diversity as a strength, and we embrace it. Here it doesn’t matter if you’re gay or straight; as long as you get the job done, you’ll get the same benefits. By offering competitive benefits, we are able to attract and retain the most talented people. Offering domestic partner benefits is not just the right thing to do; it is smart management practice.”

Gov. Brewer appealed to the Supreme Court last week asking the court to overturn a ruling that provided domestic partner benefits to same-sex spouses of state employees. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued their decision last September that under equal protections provisions, Arizona must continue to provide benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian state employees.

Via the Advocate