3.15.2004

Recent Oregon Events Raise Issues For Oregon Employers With Employees In Same-Sex Marriages

Multnomah County, in Oregon, began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on March 3, 2004. Undoubtedly, gay and lesbian employees residing in Oregon who have recently married will request that their employers recognize the marriages and provide the same benefits the employees’ heterosexual counterparts receive. Although the validity of those licenses is being challenged in court, until there is a definitive ruling, an employer’s safest course of action, in many instances, will be to presume that marriages entered into pursuant to those licenses are valid in Oregon.