This is not a gay issue...

Courtesy Lovely County Citizen

...but let's be honest. People's ears perk up when they hear it could benefit same sex couples.

What am I talking about?? A Eureka Springs' proposal would allow any adult couple to register with the city as "domestic partners". The city says the idea is to help couples and families get health coverage from their employers, as more than 200 nationwide recognize and insure domestic partners. (Anheuser-Busch, for example.)

Will it pass?

The town council gave the proposal preliminary approval Monday night, and a final vote comes up May 14th.

Eureka's mayor, Dani Wilson (pictured above), is adamant about saying this is an insurance issue and not a gay issue. The registry would not be legal, as voters in 2004 defined marriage between a man and a woman in the Arkansas Constitution. However, same sex couples (at least the ones I talked with) say the proposal, if passed, would be a big win for gay rights.

It would also mean that Eureka Springs would be one of the few Midwest towns to offer a domestic partnership registry.