Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - August 3, 2009
Todd Richmond, Associated Press Writer
First in line at the Dane County Clerk's office in Madison were 56-year-old Janice Czyscon and her partner of 29 years, 57-year-old Crystal Hyslop. The office didn't open until 8 a.m., but they arrived just after 5 a.m., dressed in identical white dress shirts and black slacks.
"It's a great day. It's hard to believe," Czyscon said. "This is historic."
Wisconsin became the first Midwestern state to enact protections for gay couples through legislation when Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle signed the state budget on June 29. Provisions in the spending plan granted same-sex couples dozens of the same legal protections as spouses, including hospital visitation, inheritance, and medical leave rights. U.S. Census Bureau figures show about 14,000 same-sex couples in Wisconsin.
The Dane County Clerk's office had taken 48 applications by mid-afternoon Monday, but the promise of long-awaited legal benefits did not appear to draw an immediate flood of applicants around the rest of the state. As of mid-afternoon, the Douglas County Clerk's office in Superior had one couple apply. The La Crosse County Clerk's office had four.
Milwaukee County Clerk Joe Czarnezki said his office had taken 19 applications as of 3:30 p.m. or so. Gary Waymire-Cooper, 29, and Forrest Waymire-Cooper, 39, both of Brown Deer, got to the courthouse about an hour and a half before it opened, anticipating long lines, but only a few couples were waiting when the facility opened.
The pair changed their names to incorporate both their last names in 2007 and wanted to seal their commitment further.
Forrest Waymire-Cooper, who has been HIV positive for 20 years, said the change will allow Gary to be at the hospital with him and not be questioned, as has happened in the past.
"This opens a lot of doors for us," Forrest said.
About 20 people had lined up in the hallway outside Dane County Clerk Robert Ohlsen's office by 7:30 a.m. Ohlsen set out coffee and handed out registration forms early. Couples sang "We're going to the courthouse and we're going to get registered," a play on the Dixie Cups' tune "Chapel of Love."
The line broke into cheers as Ohlsen opened his doors at 8 a.m. and ushered Czyscon and Hyslop in to fill out the paperwork. When they emerged Hyslop, who carried a purse with a rainbow flap, was choked up.
"I'm almost crying," she said. Czyscon high-fived others in line as the couple left.
The budget that established the registry also made Wisconsin the first state to grant such rights despite a ban on gay marriage or any similar relationship in the state constitution.
A group of social conservatives want the domestic partnership registry invalidated, however, saying it conflicts with the state's constitutional ban on gay marriage. They've asked the state Supreme Court to strike the registry down.
The election of two right-leaning justices over the last three years has turned the court conservative, but the court hasn't said whether it will take the case.
Supporters maintain the registry will stand. Hyslop said the registry cements the power of attorney documents and wills she and Czyscon have drawn up, but "it's a long cry from marriage."
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Associated Press writer Carrie Antlfinger in Milwaukee contributed to this report.
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